The Differences Between Love and Hatred
by Chicken Yuki
Summary: When Ann of Mineral town and new farmer Mitchel meet, sparks fly in chaos! But then they fall in love... with other people. While the townsfolk gossip about this mismatched pair, Mitchel struggles through his REAL love life. Farmer X ?
1. Chicken For One

_Author's Note: Harvest Moon is the Property of Natsume, and I don't own either. This is just a hobby of mine. (Once again, thank you for starting me on this kick, ManaMage.)_

**Harvest Moon: Friends Of Mineral Town**

**The Differences Between Love and Hatred**

On one sunny morning of Spring 2, the Pullet Family, which was recognized by the village as the Chicken Farming Family, was busy setting up shop at their own home.

The Mother and proprietor, Lilia, stood patiently behind the counter as always. Her daughter Popuri was busy coddling one of numerous chickens raised at the farm. Finally, Rick came inside after feeding said chickens.

"So, the chickens are in their best condition, right? Our new farmer should be coming in today, I want to make sure they're in presentable form." Lillia said.

Rick nodded. "They're well-fed and everything! If there was a chicken beauty contest, any one of them would win it hands down!" he assured.

Popuri giggled. "I'm sure they'd have an easier time winning a "cute" contest!" she exclaimed.

Rick groaned. "A "cute contest"? Seriously, Popuri, you're just way too childish!" he claimed.

"Hey! Lay off me!" Popuri shouted before going back to her chicken. "There, there, honey, don't you listen to mean Rick and his stupid insults at me."

"You're doing a pretty bad job of trying to act more "mature" so far." Rick smirked.

Immediatley, an unfamiliar young man came barging into the Chicken farm.

He had short black hair and wide blue eyes. He wore a long-sleeved dark blue jean jacket with a matching pair of jeans, along with some crimson sneakers and a flaming neck bandana.

"You must be new farmer from the city! Welcome to the Chicken Farm. How may I help you?" Lilllia greeted in a friendly matter.

The new guy breathed a sigh of relief. "So, the sign didn't lie! That's good!" he said aloud with a grin. "This is just so awesome! I've always seen chickens at fairs and on TV, but it only made me yearn of my childhood when I first met one up close!" exclaimed.

Poppuri blinked a few times as she stared curiously at the stranger. "Hm... he seems excited about seeing a chicken..." she thought to herself.

"OKAY!" the stranger shouted in delight before making his way towards the counter. "Yes, I'm the new guy!" he boasted. "My name is Mitchel Blaze from Chickadee City, and I 'm the new owner of the Red Roost Farm. I want to start of my business by being the proud owner of a little clucker!"

Lillia gave a pleasent smile. "You sure can't wait to get your hands on one, huh?"

Mtchel nodded vigorously.

"Okay then! My daughter Popuri happens to be carrying one of our chickens right behind you!" Lillia said as she faced Popuri.

Immediately, the eager young man turned around and spotted the feathery creature with glee.

"Sweet! A real live chicken!" he cried as he snatched the chicken from Popuri's ask before rubbing his cheek in its feathery body. "Ah, it's soft like a pillow... I love it..."

The pink-haired chicken girl would've been deeply offended by the stranger's recent actions if she wasn't so genuinely intrigued by his peculiar actions.

"What a strange man..." Popuri thought.

At that time, someone came crashing into the Chicken Farm by kicking open the door. It was firey-haired Ann, the daughter of the Innkeeper.

"Yo! Popuri! I was just wandering if you wanna come with me to the Goddess Spring again and hope for the best!" she cried.

She then noticed everybody was looking towards one direction, so she decided to follow along and look at the bizarre stranger with the flame bandana around his neck.

"Say, who's the freak with the chicken? Is he one of your relatives of or something?" Ann blatantly cried out loud.

Unfortunately, this got the city boy's immediate attention. Mitchel carefully placed the chicken in the gawking Popuri's grasp before giving Ann a piece of his mind.

"Oh no!" Lillia called out pleasently. "This is Mitchel Blaze, the young man taking over the farm and---"

"DID YOU JUST CALL ME A FREAK?" Mtchel shouted.

"Well, yeah!" Ann answered back casually. "I've seen this family treat these chickens affectionately before, but I haven't seen go crazy like you just did."

"That doesn't give you the right to insult me!" Mitchel growled.

Ann had devilish smirk on her face. "Do you really like chickens so much, or are you just some curious kook?"

"I happen to like chickens... a lot. They're my most favorite animal, okay?" Mitchel cried.

"Well you know what?" Ann sneered. "I happen to pluck and cook chickens before! I've even seen one running around with its head cut off!"

The others in the house gasped, but Mitchel was just completely pissed. "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU? YOU JUST CASUALLY MENTIONED COOKING CHICKENS IN A CHICKEN FARM! HOW DARE YOU COMMIT SUCH BLASPHEMY?" he cried.

Ann chuckled. "Ah, you're just overreacting! I'm sure these guys ended up offing at least one of their chickens when they stopped egg production, right?"

With that said, the entire house became dead silent as all blank stares rested on the red-headed interloper.

At that point, Mitchel had a strong urge of socking Ann straight at the nose, but he realized this might just be a first meeting gone awry.

"Maybe... if I catch this chick... on a better day... maybe we could actually get a long..." he rationalized to himself.

"Anyway, you realized you're getting carried away with this whole "chicken love" thing, right? You need to get over it, cuz' I think you'll start to scare everybody else away!" she suggested. She then turned to Popuri. "So, will I see you there soon?" she asked her.

Popuri nodded slowly. "...Yeah, hold your horses. I'm coming." she assured her friend.

"Good!" Ann exclaimed cheerfully. "Well, good day, everybody!" she cried as she waved a friendly goodbye to everybody else in the house as if she never quarreled with Mitchel at all.

The angry black-haired chicken lover was just about to have a word with Ann right before she slammed the door in his face. Steam seemed to pour from Mitchel's ears has his faced turned bright red from anger.

"...That little... She just treated me like crap, and in an instant, she pretended like nothing happened! What is wrong with her?" he thought as he contemplated rushing out the door and reconsidered landing a blow on the aggravating red-head.

"Uh, Mister?" Popuri softly cried as she poked Mitchel's shoulder.

In reaction, Mitchel turned to face her.

"Yes? What is it?" Mitchel asked. He then carefully observed the pink-haired girl carrying a chicken.

"Hmm... she's cute, but I don't see much else in this girl. At the very least, she's a fellow chicken lover, so she'll make a trustworthy comrade." he thought to himself.

"Didn't you want to purchase one of our chickens?" she asked as she pointed back to her mother.

"Oh! Right! I'm sorry! It's just that rude girl from earlier riled me up, and I sorta lost my head for a second!" he said while laughing bashfully. "Thank you, Miss!"

"You're welcome! And I hope you take great care of your new chicken!" Popuri answered before making her towards the door. "Anyway, Bye everybody! I'm going outside, now!" she cried as she turned the knob.

"Bye, Popuri!" Her family cried back as everybody, including Mitchel, waved goodbye.

Afterwards, the farmer boy turned to face Lillia.

"So yeah, your daughter has a point. I want a chicken, so I gotta pay up. What's the price?" Mitchel asked.

Lillia pointed up an index finger. "1500 G!" she answered in a friendly town.

Upon the mention of the price, Mitchel went into a state of shock.

"1500 G? But I... that means I don't have enough!" he thought.

After spending some time sulking, the dejected new farmer made his way out towards the chicken farm.

A peppy Rick then stuck his head out the door, since he felt obligated to give him a warm goodbye. "I'm sorry we could not serve you today, but please come again! I assure you that we'll still have a quality fowl waiting for you when you finally earn the money!" he cried.

Poor Mitchel let out a long sigh as he carried his shattered spirit around the rest of the town. "But the main reason I came out here in the first place was to raise my own chickens..." he muttered to himself.

With news of Mitch and Ann's infamous first encounter spreading throughout the town, Manna of the Aja Winery found herself some interesting new gossip.

"Aha!" she exclaimed as she thought it over by her lone self. "I see through this personal conflict between Ann and the new guy! They're actually two stubborn, reluctant lovers who don't know how to express their feelings! It's really just some awkward display of affection! How sweet!"

Little did the poor fool realize how wrong she actually was...

**Omake: In the Midst of the Tour...**

While checking out all the buildings of the town, Mitchel came across a really big one. He decided to check it out, so he opened up the doors leading in, only to come across Ann during her cleaning sessions. The spunky red-head gave a friendly wave as Mitchel made a sour face.

"Oh, hello! Welcome to--- wait a minute! It's you, the freak guy!" Ann cried blatantly.

"Uh...whatever..." Mitchell grumbled.

He then took a slight look around to see the tables and the stools by the counter, then back to Ann.

"So, this is the Inn, huh?" he muttered aloud.

"Yeah! This is it! And let me tell ya, the food here is--"

But Ann gets cut-off by an immediate door slam.

"HEY!"


	2. Gossip

**Chapter 2: Gossip**

At the popular meeting place called Rose Square, three infamous ladies of gossip gathered to share the latest news.

Manna, Sasha, and Anna were chatting up a storm, and it was inevitable that the Mitchel and Ann story would come up.

"So I overheard that the new guy and Farmer had a fight at the Poultry Farm in their first meeting! I heard that sparks flew and everything! Shouting and slamming and quarrelling and everything! But then I heard a REAL fight nearly broke out between those two, but you know that wouldn't actually happen because they're man and woman, and the way the act is sort of like Duke and me, and we're Husband and Wife and we're still married even though we fight a lot, so it must mean they really like each other and---"

"Whoa, Manna! Slow down a little! I know we get carried away when we're into sharing gossip, but it's hard catching up to you half the time!" Sasha complained.

"Oh, I'm sorry! Anyway---"

"Mitch, the new farmer, and Doug's Daughter Ann? It sounds like an interesting couple, but if you say they're like you and Duke, this pair sounds a little unstable." Anna said with concern.

"Oh, you shouldn't worry about that! Duke and I always work out our frustrations with each other and we always feel better towards everything after these sessions so I'm sure they'd be okay! Besides, it's the quarreling couples that are always so cute because it creates this tension between them that starts off as a barrier between them, but then it all breaks down with a passionate night! Oh, the fun times Duke and I shared during our youth! I'm sure one day when they get over their stubbornness, Mitchel and Ann will be hugging and kissing and... ohmyohmyohmy!" Manna babbled.

"I really don't know what think about their constant bickering myself." Sasha sighed. "I thought I could confirm a few things through my daughter, Karen. She and the farmer met each other during their childhood while the old man was still running the farm, so I would assume she could find something out. Unfortunately, the subject has been a little touchy for him to share with anybody..."

"That settles it! That settles it! Mitch is just shy and trying to be macho and---"

"I really have a hard time imagining this new young man to be mean." Anna confessed. " Mitch has been coming to my house and the Library pretty often. He always seems loose, friendly, and fanciful, so it's always fun talking to him. But I do seem to notice that he's starting to warm up to my daughter. They're getting along quite well, and they're really comfortable with each other. I don't understand why he'd need to clash with Ann if he can get along so easily with somebody else without causing a problem."

"Come to think of it," Sasha chimed in. "Karen and him have a few occasional outings as well, and Karen always has fun with him. I don't recall any romantic feelings between the two of them, though."

"Then maybe Mitch is just shy about the women he really likes! I mean, it's possible he could be using the others to get Ann jealous and angry so that they could confront each other over and over, so they can fight over and over, just so they can be together over and over again! I mean, I don't know what Mitchel could see in Mary as a friend - no offense, Anna- but Karen's the reputed beauty of the village, so she'd be the perfect way to get anybody jealous when a man hangs out with her! And I also noticed how he doesn't like talking about Ann in front of me! I mean, I tried to coax him into spilling the beans about how he feels about Ann, but he just gave me a dirty look before buying a wine and leaving the store! So if anything, he MUST be shy, because he doesn't feel comfortable about sharing his feelings with other people and---"

Anna thought back to a past moment when she conversed with Mitchel. It left a clear impression on what the new farmer thought about Manna:

"That woman from the Aja Winery is a loquacious kook. Does she ever stop?"

Anna laughed nervously to herself with this thought in mind. "I think I know why he doesn't want to share ANYTHING with her..."

"So you think Mitch is a desperate playboy trying to take a roundabout approach to claiming Ann's heart?" Sasha asked in deep concern.

"Maybe." Manna answered.

The other women glared at Manna's simple, one-word reply.

"Well, he doesn't seem to be making the moves on anybody yet. He hasn't caused a complaint of sexual harassment, nor does it seem that anyone has the hots for him... unless the rumors about him and Ann are right. Still, it might be worth it to warn Karen about him." Sasha answered.

Anna shrugged. "Honestly, I question these notions about him. He seems to be an honest and straightforward kind of guy. He's kinda like my dear Basil, who's always been a satisfying husband. Besides, if he is considering dating anyone, it just might be Mary. She's just such a quiet little sweetheart, but I think someone's finally noticed her."

"I still say he has his heart set on Ann!" Manna argued.

Sasha looked at her watch. "Oh gosh! I better head back to the market! I don't want to keep Jeff from a home-cooked meal!" she cried before running off towards her home.

"Besides, it'll only be a matter of time before Karen tries to make it up for me!" she thought with fear.

"Bye Sasha! See you back here tommorow!" Manna cried out.

"I might as well head back as well." Anna said. "See you later, Manna."

"Bye Anna!" Manna cried as Anna casually made her way back to her house.

"Oh well, guess it's time I head back to the Winery!" she chirped to herself.

As she was walking towards her home, Manna happened to come across Cliff, who arrived in Mineral Town shortly before Mitch did.

"Hey Cliff! How's life been treating you?" Manna greeted.

"...okay..." Cliff answered reluctantly.

"Oh, then that's good! It would be really disheartening to see a depressed vagabond wandering the streets! But I suppose it's hard to stay down when you're boarding with the ball of sunshine that Ann is! By the way, how are you Ann getting along?" Manna asked.

She's fine. Ann reminds me of my sister I grew up with, so she's easy to get along with." Cliff answered.

"Oh! A sibling-like relationship! That's a good friendship indeed! Maybe you could help Ann with her love troubles since she can't seem to lower her stubbornness around the new guy! Y'know, encourage her a little to find happiness! Tell her the kinds of things men really like! She'll need to understand how to get into a man's heart if she'll ever have any hope at romance!" Manna babbled.

"Wait--what? Did you say Ann loves somebody else?" Cliff exclaimed.

"Why, of course, dear! Her and the new farmer are totally smitten! I mean, sure they quarell a lot, but so do Duke and I, and we're husband and wife! But let me assure you, just because we argue a lot, doesn't mean we're considering divorce! Oh, no! We're still pretty hot for each other!" Manna grinned.

At that moment, Cliff got hit by overwhelming depression.

"Oh... I see... well then... I'm glad for her... I guess..." Cliff uttered.

"Oh, good! Then help out Ann like a good "Brother", okay Cliff? Bye!" Manna said before she went on her way.

Poor, heartbroken Cliff slumped over as he went into the Inn.

"I can't believe it was over before it even started." he thought.

Meanwhile, at the Goddess Spring, the beautiful Harvest Goddess appeared before Mitchel as a certain red-head was struggling get out of the spring.

"I am grateful your little visit today, but please keep in mind that I don't appreciate human sacrifices for an offering." The Harvest Goddess groaned.

"Yeah... I wasn't actually expecting you to appear before me when I chucked Ann into the spring." Mitchel confessed.

"Oh. Well then, you're forgiven." The Harvest Goddess answered sincerely, "So then... why DID you toss Ann into my Spring, anyway?"

Mitchel slapped his forehead and let out a frustrated sigh. "This crazy chick had the gall to pester me when I was naked at the hot springs. I figured it was more human to give her a fighting chance in the Spring than drowning her in hot water." he confessed.

"So... do you want me to save her?" The Harvest Goddess asked in concern.

"Uh... sure... just keep in mind I didn't wish for that." Mitchell answered coolly.

"Alright, then..." The Harvest Goddess answered. She then snapped her divine fingers and sent the drowning Ann into slumber at the Inn.

"Your "Request" has been granted, but now your wish remains. Would you like me to raise the affections of the girl closest to you?" The Harvest Goddess asked.

Mitchel scratched his head with an uneasy look on his face. "I'm... not sure if that's a wise choice for now. The one I'm fond of right now might not share the feelings I have for her, it could accidentally result in having a friend fall in love with me by mistake. I wouldn't want to cause that kind of trouble in my sad excuse of a love life." he answered.

"Very Well, then. I'll hold off on your wish until you feel it is the right time. Until then, I give you my blessing for a bountiful harvest. Just please don't chuck another human into the spring. If you have another problem with Ann, just toss her in the Lake with the Kappa. I'm sure he'll enjoy the company." she answered. "Well then, goodbye Mitchel!" she said before her lovely form faded from view.

Mitchel shrugged. "Kappa, huh? I suppose it would be neat to see one. But mythical creatures like those still don't hold a candle to chickens." he said before leaving the Spring.

**Omake: He Actually Did It...**

The following day, Ann decided to annoy Mitchel again by the lake, so the agitated farmer placed something in her pocket and tossed her in, when the Kappa suddenly appeared.

"Oh, hello, Mr. Kappa! I'm surprised to actually see you right now! I thought you were a myth!" Ann exclaimed in a chipper tone.

"Hello, little girl. So, do you have a cucumber to appease me so I won't cause you bodily harm out of frustration?" the Kappa asked.

"Oh, let me see!" Ann cried. She then reached into her pocket, and apparently, the item Mitchel put in there was indeed a cucumber. "Here ya go!"

"Thank you, I guess..." The Kappa answered. "So I suppose this means you're trying to befriend me for a treasure?"

"Uh, no... I think that freak Mitchel is. He's the one who placed the cucumber in my pocket and tossed me out into the lake. I think he's trying to appease you while taking his frustration out on me at the same time. He hates me, you know!" she explained casually.

"I see... then, good luck with that." the Kappa said as he submerged himself into the lake.

"Bye, Mr. Kappa!" Ann cried as she waved a free hand. She then attempted to swim back to dry land, with Mitchel nowhere to be found.


	3. Young Love and Angst

**Chapter 3**

Cliff was ready to start another day of regret as he woke up with a yawn. He fixed his bed, opened the door, and headed downstairs in order to have some breakfast. Despite his crushed hopes, he still looked forward to seeing Ann greeting him as he finally reached the 1st floor, but instead, he saw a new farmer boy having breakfast while speaking to Doug.

"You know what, man? This food is great! I think I'll come here for dinner, too! It's just too much work fishing for now, and I have to accumulate as much funds from my produce as possible!" Mitchell exclaimed.

Doug laughed heartily. Well, my boy, it's always a pleasure to receive a complement for my cooking, but I can't say I did this all by myself! My lovely daughter Ann baked the potato and a few personal touches to it!"

Mitchell swallowed his food hard and glared at Doug in disbelief. "That loud-mouthed psycho can actually cook?" he shouted.

Again, Doug gave a hearty laugh. "You really shouldn't be surprised! Ann may have a lot of boyish hobbies, but she still has plenty of domestic skills to help out around this place!" he grinned. "If you think about it, she'd actually be quite the catch, don't you think?" he said with a wife.

Mitchel gave Doug a deadly glare, but he didn't seem to notice. "Oh great, he's reacting the same way that Manna did when I said something disparaging about Ann, and he's even trying to sell her good points to me. What's wrong with him, anyway? Doesn't he realize I just insulted his daughter?"

As Doug continued to laugh, Cliff watched by anxiously. "Oh great, he's even made friends with Ann's Dad! Even Doug will support this relationship now!" he thought.

Mitchel then turned his face and saw Cliff watching over him. He greeted the vagabond with a smile.

"Oh, sweet! I've always seen you wandering around this town, but we never had a chance to properly meet until now! My name is Mitchel Blaze, what's yours?" he asked.

Cliff slowly walked down the stairs. "My name... is Cliff..." he answered hesitantly.

"Cliff? That's a cool name! Sounds really tough!" Mitchel grinned.

The poor young man sighed. "I think I understand why they like each other so much... this Mitchel seems like a really nice guy, so of course they'd get along. I bet they have a lot in common, too..." he thought dejectedly.

"You know, with that sleeveless robe and ninja-like pants, you look like some kickass martial artist! Really cool!" Mitchel answered with a thumbs up. "So, do you happen to know any martial arts, or is this just a traveling outfit?"

Cliff shook his shameful head. "I just travel a lot..." he muttered quietly.

Mitchell snapped his fingers. "Aww, that's too bad! I really wanted to learn some real martial arts, but I guess that'll just remain a dream for me, huh? Well, for the time being I'll just have to raise baby Yogi into a decent watchdog! I thought it would be awesome if I could have Ruby be my personal attack chicken, but then I realized it wouldn't be able to lay quality eggs. Of course, Ann had to overhear my idea and insult me again..."

Regretfully, Cliff moped away from his attempt to befriend the depressed vagabond.

"Uh, Cliff? Wait, where are you going? Don't you want your breakfast?" Mitchell cried.

He then got out of his chair and tried to confront Cliff again. He tried to get his attention by tapping him on the shoulder.

"Hey Cliff! Cliff?"

Unfortunately for Mitchell, Ann just happened to waltz into the room with broom and hand. All that she saw was a somber Cliff and a pesky Mitchel.

"Hey! What are you doing to our new tenant? Leave him alone, you creep!" Ann cried.

Upon hearing her voice, Mitchel turned an evil eye towards Ann.

"What in the world are you talking about? I'm just trying to talk to him and maybe even become his friend! You don't have to barge in and make stupid assumptions!" Mitchell shouted.

"Oh, shut up! You're probably bothering him with more of your creepy talk, aren't you? Well, I'm not going to stand for it!" Ann shouted. She then marched towards Mitchel with her broom.

"Stop being an idiot and listen to me! I'm not trying to harass Cliff!"

"Yeah, right!"

"I actually think he's kinda cool, like some badass martial artist!"

"Well, maybe he doesn't like being called a "badass martial artist"! So leave him alone, you insensitive creep!"

"Creep? You're the loony stalker committing random acts of sexual harassment!"

Cliff glared at their bickering in disbelief. "I don't believe it... people are actually saying that these two "like" each other? It looks like they're about to tear each other in two..." he muttered to himself.

"Oh, quite the contrary!" a manly voiced announced proudly as Ann and Mitchel continued to yell at each other.

Cliff scratched his naive little head. "Really? What do you mean? All I see are two people who despise one another..."

"Well, it may look like those two hate each other on the outside, but in reality, what we're witnessing is two stubborn characters who's hearts and eyes burn with hidden passion!" Doug grinned. "It's just how it works!" he assured Cliff, unaware that he's upsetting him even more.

Cliff sighed. "Passion, huh? They're just denying their feelings?"

"You got! You see-"

While Doug and Cliff were too busy talking about the birds and the bees, Ann charged straight at Mitchel with a broom.

"You inconsiderate jerk!" Ann cried as she held her broom high above her head.

Mitchel quickly retaliated by whipping out his sickle and slashing off the broom's head.

"Hypocrite." he muttered coolly. "You know, I would prefer we settle this on equal terms, without using any weapons. But if you intend to involve weapons into the fray, I'll just have to choice but to top you."

Ann quivered in fear as she saw the iron scythe wielded skillfully in his hands.

"Don't worry, I don't believe in bloodshed." Mitchell concluded.

Apparently, their confrontation came to an end when Cliff ran out of the Inn crying. Both looked towards the exit simultaneously and tried to catch up to him.

"Cliff, Wait!" Both cried simultaneously, but the arguing pair are met with a door slam to the face.

"AAGH! THIS IS YOUR FAULT, YOU CREEP!" Ann yelled at Mitchel.

"For crying out--- DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING BETTER TO DO THAN TO HARASS ME AND BLAME ME FOR YOUR MESSES?" Mitchel shouted.

Ann then chucked the broom handle right at Mitchel's face, which caught it with precise timing.

"I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU ANYWHERE NEAR CLIFF AGAIN, GOT IT?" Ann yelled.

Mitchel responded with a violent glare before reaching into his rucksack for some gold pieces. He then placed a few in Doug's hand.

"I apologize for what happened to your broom. I hope that's enough to compensate" he calmly explained when he pointed to the sliced broom head, which Doug noted immediately.

"I'm ditching this place and going to the library to talk to Mary. At least I can calm down when I'm with her..." Mitchel grumbled to himself before leaving.

"AND LEAVE POPURI ALONE TOO! SHE'S ALREADY OBSESSED ENOUGH WITH CHICKENS AS IT IS!" Ann cried.

Doug simply witnessed the chaos with awe in his heart, and a dumb grin on his face. "Ah, young love..." he sighed.

Ann gave her Dad an awkward glare upon hearing this. "Uh... Dad? Did you dip into the wine stash again?"

**Omake: Wallflower Hottie**

At the Mineral Town Library, Mitchel and Mary were having a conversation on attraction.

"Say, er... Mary, I'll probably sound perverted for saying this, but your Mom's really good looking!" he confessed with a slight blush.

"Really?" Mary said. "Oh, please don't feel to awkward about it. A lot of men actually say that about her. Even Kai..." she said with a hint of envy.

"You really don't have a lot of self-confidence when it comes to that sort of thing, do you?" Mitchel asked.

"n...No... not really." Mary bashfully answered. "The other girls around here are just so much more beautiful, or cuter, and they're all a lot more confident than me."

Mitchel shook his head in disapproval. "You've gotta be kidding me! When I said your Mother was good looking, I thought that opinion would automaticallycarry on to my opinion of you!" he cried.

Mary looked bewildered. "Huh?"

"No, really!" Mitchel exclaimed. "You've definitely inherited her looks, but you've got this cuteness factor that's all your own! It's amazing!"

Mary gazed at his goofy grin. "Are you sure about that?"

Mitchel's head seemed to rattle as he shook his head up and down.

"Yeah, your conservative style has a unique appeal on its own, but I bet people would really notice your beauty if you loosened your hair and tried on a nice dress!" Mitchel cried.

"Is that so? But... I'm not sure about that... I... probably won't look in such clothing compared to everyone else." she sighed.

"Well then... let me picture it for a minute! I got a really good imagination, you know!" he replied with confidence.

Mitchel then closed his eyes and concentrated hard.

In his mind, he saw Mary without her glasses so she could show off her beautiful grey eyes. Her hair was unbraided and wavy, and she wore a dress outfit similar to Anna, but she it was devoid of an apron and was colored in a navy blue color instead. Her charming smile completed the image.

Mitchel then opened his eyes. "Yeah, it's a pretty cute look!" he grinned.

Mary squinted her eyes for a moment and managed to get a peek of Mitchel's mental image. She blushed slightly upon seeing this re-envisioned self. "Y-yeah... I guess it is... but trying out such a look might prove to be a bit of a distraction for the occasional readers coming in. Plus, it's really hard to get contacts around here" she uttered softly.

"Okay, then how about a more professional look?" Mitchel chirped. "I'm thinking a blue blazer and white collar dress shirt with a skirt! You can still fit into the imagery!"

"Ahh... Maybe that could work..." Mary answered.

"How about you join me in imagining this look?" Mitchel suggested.

"Okay..." Mary reluctantly agreed.

So then, both inhabitants of the Library closed their eyes and concentrated on the description.

Mary's hair remained unbraided and wavy, but this time she was sporting the blue blazer outfit, with the white shirt emphasizing her small, yet still noticeable chest area. Apparently, neither could imagine Mary as her usual sweet self in such an outfit. Instead, they imagined her with her mother's trademark "coy" look behind those square frames.

"Holy Crap!" Mitchel and Mary thought in unison.

Both of them turned red immediately upon completing this imagery. Mithcel's nose bled as Mary came close to fainting.

"She has the potential to surpass Karen!" Mitchel thought.

"It's... too much... way too much..." Mary thought in panic.


	4. Morning Breakfast

**Chapter 4**

Mitchel woke up one morning to fix himself a hearty breakfast until someone came knocking at the door.

The chicken-loving farmer decided to answer it, only to find Popuri standing outside, with a meal in her hands.

"Oh. good morning, Popuri! It was an interesting experience playing "House" with Stu and May yesterday, even though I was sort of forced into doing it. So, ah... what brings you here with a fresh breakfast? Is there are problem at the Poultry Farm?" he asked while scratching his head.

Popuri shook her head nervously. "No, ah... actually, I, uh... made it for you!" she said with a flushed face.

"Really? Is that so?" he uttered in a weary voice.

Mitchel inched closer to the chicken girl, examining the meal and observing her peculiar attitude.

In Popuri's hands was a cheese omelet and some Jam bread on a plate, along with a cup of strawberry milk.

"Yeah... she was acting pretty natural during the whole experience. but I felt... strange." he thought. "But now she's took a sudden change of attitude. Did Ann say something stupid top her?"

Mitchel then accepted her breakfast and carefully placed it on his table.

"I think people normally don't do this sort of thing unless it's a special occasion. Did I forget to mark my calendar for something?" Mitchel asked.

"No!" Popuri cried. "It's just... I think my mind's still stuck on playing "House" from yesterday, and I just instinctively made breakfast for "Daddy". I forgot we were done playing, but still... I, uh... I made it ith your tates in mind, so I figured I couldn't let this go to waste!" she exclaimed.

"Well, that's considerate!" Mitchel answered with a pleasant smile. "It's a little strange to keep your mind into role play after an entire night, but at least I get a meal out of this! And you get some cooking experience, so we all win!"

Popuri laughed bashfully. "Gee... you're welcome."

Mitchel blinked.

"Seriously, is she acting okay? Popuri's being just plain odd right now." he thought in concern.

He then turned around, with his face turning deep red with memories seeping into his mind. "Come to think of it... is she actually becoming cuter latley? I mean... she turns into a completely different person when it comes to certain situations! Like that time a chicken fled from the Poultry Farm, or like when she was being "Mommy" yesterday... it's like I can't even recognize her anymore! Who is that other girl?" he thought.

"Ahhh... Mitchel! Maybe you should start on your breakfast now! It's starting to get cold!" Popuri cried.

The eccentric farmer was suddenly brought back to reality. "Right, right! That sounds like a good idea!" he responded as he plopped his butt on a wooden chair and started tearing into his meal.

"Well? Is it good?" Popuri asked meekly.

"Oh yeah! This is great!" Mitchell answered with a sincere grin. "I can tell you put a lot of work into the omlette! This cheese is excellent!"

"That's Good to hear." Popuri said in a pleasant tone.

For a brief moment, the childish girl found herself slipping into her nurturing side as she watched Mitchell enjoying his meal.

"Say, Popuri! You wanna join me for breakfast? I still have a few things in the Fridge!" Mitchel said.

Popuri shrugged while looking on anxiously.

"Umm... I should probably head back. Mom and Rick don't really know that I left yet, and I don't want to cause them any more trouble than I normally do! I'm really sorry!" she answered.

Mitchell shrugged. "Okay" he said, "That's good thinking. It sucks when your family can't trust you anymore. I hope you get breakfast from your Mom, because she I think that's where you got your cooking skill from."

"Right..." Popuri replied. "Well then, please excuse me, Sweetie."

The pink-haired girl gasped before taking her leave in a hurry as Mitchell continued eating breakfast.

"She's even acting more polite..." he noted to himself.

Outside, the chicken girl speed-walked towards the Poultry Farm while holding two fists in front of her chest.

"What's wrong with me? I've felt different since yesterday... and... did I just call him 'Sweetie?'" she thought to herself while blushing.

At the same time, a figure passed her on the way to Mitchel's Farm house without noticing her. After finally reaching the humble abode, it knocked on the door.

Mitchel decided to interrupt his breakfast and opened the door to find the seedy Merchant, Won, with some bizarre merchandise in hand.

"Oho! Weary one, I've heard of your plight! There seems to be trouble in paradise, and I hope to remedy the situation!" he grinned as his eyes glinted with greed. "I have a few things for sale that should help you with your rocky relationship with your special maiden! This vial contains a special potion guaranteed to increase your charisma and have your girl of choice swooning in this arms! Also, this bag contains special malts that, when fed to the girl of your dreams, will have her fall madly in love with the first person she sees! But that's not all! This Apple---"

Won gets immideatley cut off by a door slam, but the determined Merchant steps forward and pounds harshly on the door.

"Do not deny your heart, young one! I know it aches for the girl of the Inn, and you desire help!" he shouted.

The conniving voice within his mind laughed with glee. "Yes, once the poor fool hears that I have discovered the one he loves, he is sure to reconsider due to my "infinte knowledge", and fall prey to my sales!"

Unfortunately, he was standing WAY too close to the door, as Mitchel swung the door open again, causing it collide into Won's face, and ultimately causing his body to be smashed between the door and a wall.

The once laid-back Farm Boy looked outside the door with an unpleasant look.

"Idiot..." he uttered in a disgruntled voice.

He then slammed the door close again, leaving a damaged Won to wobble away from the house.

"Maybe... I was... too direct..."

The seedy merchant only managed a few clumsy steps before collapsing from his pain.

**Omake: Breakfast In Bed**

Earlier that day, Popuri experienced pleasant dreams in the comfort of her own home.

In this dream, she was married to one she saw as a very handsome man, and she herself was an earnest, yet devoted wife. They shared a humble household together, but they were clearly very happy living together.

During this dream, Popuri was busy in the kitchen, preparing breakfast for the one she loved. Although more freedom has been granted in the 21st century, this young lady could not help but fantasize about the old fashioned ways.

In a matter of moments, she managed to complete a satisfying meal fit for a king.

Its contents scintillated with the brilliance of the sun.

Finally, the happy husband waltzed into the room with a grin. His mysterious face was known only to the blissful wife.

"Good Morning, Honey! Your breakfast is ready!" she said with a smile.

"Good Morning, Darling. And Might I say, you've really outdone yourself this time! I can't wait to try out this newest achievement!" he exclaimed.

The friendly husband then took his tray of food and laid it gently on the kitchen table.

Afterwards, the man approached his wife and gently caressed her cheek with a gentle smile.

"I know I've said this a thousand times, but I have to say it again:

Out of all the women in existence, I'm glad I chose you."

Immediately, the matured young woman's face flushed.

"You're way too kind..." she uttered softly.

"Perhaps..." he answered with a sly grin.

Suddenly, their faces came close together until their lips met.

While the young housewife felt a refreshing sensation seep through her mouth, her nose somehow wafted her delicious breakfast.

Her lips then separated from her husband's with her eyes still closed.

"I'm sorry, but the scent of my omelet's starting to make me hungry..." she admitted.

"It's alright. We can share. Just open your eyes, you can enjoy it with me." he assured in a sincere tone.

Popuri then open her eyes, but everything was suddenly different. She was back in her own house, inside her usually petite body. The strangest thing was, she was holding a tray with a fresh plate of Jam Toast and Cheese Omelets, along with a glass of Strawberry Milk. Her big red eyes widened in shock.

"Oh my gosh! How did I get here? Did I actually just cook while I was asleep?" she cried in panic.

"Come to think of it, wasn't I also cooking in the dream? Yes... I was preparing a meal for my dream husband... and he looked kinda like the new farmer, Mitchell..."

Her face turned bright red upon the revelation.

"... Maybe... I should just give it to him, then..." she concluded.


	5. Mary's Corner

**Chapter 5**

In Mineral Town Library, Mitchel decided to have another private chat with his close friend Mary. Few people understood this friendship between the eccentric farmer and the humble Librarian, while fewer people were even aware that these two were friends in the first place. Whatever the case may be, Mitchel and Mary seem to have the right things in common that allow them to get along just fine.

Unfortunately, exaggerated news about the "relationship" between Mitchel and Ann was spreading like wildfire...

Mitchel sighed. "I don't understand what goes around here sometimes. I have a feeling there are some sinister plots being formed behind my back." he groaned. "At least I can always count on you to be the reasonable one of this town! It's always... a relief taking to you, somehow."

"Thank you..." Mary smiled. "At least I know I'm still useful for something."

"Geez, don't say that sort of stuff around me! It makes me nervous!"

"I'm just kidding!" Mary assured her peculiar friend. "It's just, barely anyone comes here..."

"It's alright. At least you can be sure this place is quiet. And I'm pretty sure you've shared a few moments with somebody special, right?" Mitchel commented with a wink.

Mary blushed. "Does... does he know about me and Gray?" she thought nervously.

Mitchel stared blankly. "Oh, so she does have a thing for Gray. I thought they were just casual acquaintances, but... ah, whatever. At least I know I'm not her only friend... and I'm not the only one who finds something attractive about her, but that's not my problem... I think..."

"Anyway," he said aloud. "I think... there's a girl in Mineral Town I'm really starting to like... a lot..." he admitted shyly.

"Really? Is that so?" Mary said curiously.

Mitchel nodded. "Yeah... I was considering going to the Doctor about this, but he seems preoccupied with Elli a lot, and Karen... well, even though she's my childhood friend, I have a bad feeling about sharing something like this with her. You see, I didn't really think it would be her... she started off as my comrade, someone who shared a few interests with me. But then, we end up together in a number of situations, and I get a glimpse of this unexpected side of her. Things are just starting to get really awkward with her now..."

"I see..." Mary answered with a cheerful smile. "It's Popuri, isn't it?"

"Yes, it--- wait, how did you know?" Mitchel asked.

Mary giggled. "I'm sorry, it became pretty obvious to me when you started getting into it. I mean, she's one of the few people in this village you call a "comrade", and I must admit, the two of you really look cute together!"

"Really?" Mitchel exclaimed.

"Yes, I do." Mary nodded. "I've actually seen her a few times, and I notice you're having a positive impact on her. Instead of complaining about not being recognized as an adult, she's actually trying to mature. And she's even come over to my house to pick up some recipes from Mom. I think she's going all out, this time!"

The redness on the farmer's face intensified upon hearing this.

"Heh... wow... I guess she's just as curious about knowing this woman as much as I am..." Mitchel said with a bashful chuckle.

"I guess so..." Mary replied.

Mitchel rubbed his head. "I just have the strongest feeling it's going to get really awkward between her and I. To me, I'm basically developing feelings for someone who's maturing before my very eyes, but I'm not sure if she even thinks that fondly of me. It kinda stings when she talks about "handsome men" like I'm not one of them, but there must be some reason I'm curious about this..."

Mary gave a light chuckle. "Ah... don't mind that! She can be strange like that at times, but I'm sure she doesn't mean any harm! Besides, you did tell me she made you breakfast some time ago, right?"

Mitchel nodded. "Yeah. She was even acting disoriented and babbly, but maybe it wasn't because I made her nervous or anything. There could've been a bunch of different reasons the breakfast made her nervous... like she literally made it in her sleep or something." he explained.

Mary lowered her head with a slight blush and a meek smile.

"You two will make such a cute couple... I'm jealous..."

The poor farmer came close to fainting on the spot, but he managed to regain his compusre just in time.

"Wh-What? That's... jumping the gun a little, isn't it?" he exclaimed.

"I'm sorry... it's just... I've been waiting to get together with someone I've really liked for the longest time, and I'm a little envious of how fast you two are reaching that point---"

"You're talking about Gray, aren't you?" Mitchel interrupted abruptly.

At that time, it was May's turn to nearly faint, but the quick-thinking Mitchel caught the Librarian before she could loose consciousness.

"Yeah... sorry about that. I guess we just know each other too well, don't we?" the farmer said with a nervous look.

"Either that, or we're a couple of mind readers..." Mary added in meek sarcasm.

"Nah, we're just frikin' kiddy books to each other!" Mitchel added jokingly.

After the black-haired pair shared a few more moments of laughter, Mitchel snapped his finger and took out something from his notebook.

"Right! Your novel! I'm actually done with it now!" he said cheerfully.

"Really? What do you think? Gray really seemed to love it, and he's a pretty tough critic on fictional writings. I was also hoping to get word from a casual reader such as yourself, so... I just have to know."

Mitchel smiled in satisfaction. "Actually, it was really good! I was a little worried you came to the wrong guy when you told me it was a romance novel, but then it got interesting when I found out the fantasy and comedy aspects of it. Lady Rosemary was such a wonderfully opinionated character for one of nobility, I just couldn't help but enjoy those scenes! But my favorite character in the story was the mischievous Mage, Mendell. His particular take on the pessimism of romance is a sadly uncommon view on the world; however, I just loved the way he manipulated everyone in the story, especially when he gave those snooty chicks just what they deserved! I didn't know you had this sort of imagination in you!"

"Ah... thank you..." Mary replied softly as she accepted the novel. "I really wasn't expecting that sort of praise... it just sort of came to me, and I'm just an amateur after all."

"Don't worry about things like that! I'm pretty sure there's plenty of talent in the world that are just amateur writers or are struggling to get published. I mean, nobody can expect to start out on the top, right?" Mitchel rationalized.

"Good point..." Mary replied.

Mitchel took a quick glance at his watch, and realized how late it's getting.

"Anyway, I guess it's time for me to leave. I've been in here for quite a while now, and it's almost time for the library to close up. Also, I have this bamboo shoot with the Doctor's name on it, and it would be rude to keep a busy guy waiting.."

"Wait!" Mary cried.

"Whatisit?" Mitchel muttered.

"I suppose I've been meaning to ask you about it for awhile, but... have you been able to cope well with all the strange rumors about you and Ann? I've managed to hear something about it from Mother, and a few people are convinced you're love with her due to all of your fighting!"

Mitchel sighed. "I suspect this town is full of romance-obsessed crazies..." he stated. "While they spend too much time preoccupying themselves with passion and conflict, they don't realize what other problems they're causing with this crap. Why can't some people in this world take emotions at face value, anyway? Are we all really this stupid and assuming in the end?"

"That's how gossip works, no matter how ridiculous the logic is." Mary explained.

"Okay, then... if I want to make it clear to everybody, maybe I should start treating Popuri like Comrade Rick does, and blatantly point out all her childish habits. And if people are to finally realize we're friends, perhaps we should start bickering around town! Then all this "Ann and Me" nonsense will be old news!" he exclaimed in convincing enthusiasm.

"Of course, Gray might want to kick my ass for thinking I'm being mean to you... or people will start to think we're the hottest new couple..." he voiced in concern.

When the humor started kicking in for the both of them, Mitchel and Mary were sent in an uncontrollable fit of laughter.

"Let's... just... keep hanging out like we are now. Our little-known friendship is fine the way it is." Mary insisted.

Mitch nodded. "Yeah. "We're better off as just being freinds", right? It really wouldn't be fair to break Popuri's heart because we started going out on a whim." he joked.

"Well then, goodbye, Mitchel! It's been fun, but like you said earlier, I really have to close up!" Mary said.

"Glad to be of help!" Mitchel grinned. "While I figure out a way to "break up with Ann", I'll wish you the best of luck with Gray!"

"Thank you. And Good luck with Popuri!" Mary answered.

Mitchel then left the Library as Mary prepared her keys to lock up. For a minute, she paused to gaze up at the ceiling hopefully.

"Oh, Harvest Goddess... please let Mitchel and Popuri get together without too much difficulty. He's been such a good friend to me for a while, and I honestly believe Popuri's starting to change for the better. Gray and I have already been blessed with an uncomplicated relationship, so please... do me this one favor and help those two."

Shen then got out of her seat and finally leave the Library behind locked doors before another thought came to her.

"Whose fault was this whole "Ann and Mitchel" rumor, anyway?" she pondered.

Back at Aja Winery, Manna started pondering to herself.

"Hmm... maybe I should help those two lovebirds finally get together and bring some peace to this town! I bet they'll look adorable when Ann and Mitchel finally acknowledge their true feelings!" she thought in excitement, before something else hit her.

"Then again, the tension between is just too exciting! I should probably just let nature take its course..."

**Omake: Girls Say the Darnest Things**

One sunny afternoon, Mitchel went to Barley's Farm to visit, out of all people, May. No one knows for sure how exactly a young man like Mitch and a little girl like May can get along without people asuming the worst, but they must be pretty lucky to retain their friendship.

"Hey, May!" the raven-haired chicken boy greeted in good cheer.

"Hi, Mitchel!" May answered.

"How are you doing?"

"Oh, I'm okay. I'm still bothered that Grandpa can't play with me so much, but at least I have Stu, Ellen, and Carter to hang out with."

"The priest guy?"

"Yeah! He's pretty cool..."

Mitchel thought about this for a while and considered a decent run of bad luck he's come across with other people of his "proffession", but he had the pleasure of learning that Carter's the most amusing priest he's ever met. For one thing, the guy actually told a story about a man being magically stuck to the ground without using some sort of religious reference.

"Well, I'm glad to see you're doing fine." Mitchel grinned.

"Actually, Stu's starting to confuse me a little..." May said bashfully.

Mitchel nodded. "Oh, okay... is he starting to tell you peculiar riddles or something?"

"N-no... nothing like that. I don't mean that he's TRYING to confuse me, it's just I'm starting mixed feelings towards him." May replied.

"Mix feelings? That's interesting..." Mitchel said thoughtfully.

"Yeah. It's just, a lot of the time, I really like him, but then some of the time I don't. That's what confuses me." May explained.

The strange chicken boy scratched his head. "That's really odd. I don't know what think about it. Maybe it's one of those little boy and girl touchy-feely issues, but I rarely had any experience with that during my childhood. Heck, I've met way too many girls in my early childhood that hated my guts because they thought I was the spawn of evil. It was a strange impression, too, since everybody knew me as a "goodie-goodie" incapable of doing bad things. Anyway, if May and Stu actually care about each other, they're getting off lucky..." he thought to himself.

Mitchel then clutched his head and laughed bashfully. "Ah... I'm really sorry, but I don't understand why you're asking me. I mean, I'm a man, afterall, and I feel like this is something one female should share with another..."

"Oh no! I think you might have a better idea why this is happening! I mean, Stu's a boy, kinda like you are, so maybe you could tell me if Stu might be having some similar confusion as well..." May asked hopefully.

Mitchel shrugged. "I'm sorry say, but I can't say for sure. First of all, most of us guys are idiots at this stuff. That's why I think this is more apporpriate for girl talk. Another thing is, I also don't have a clue why feelings would fluctuate like that. Does Stu act friendly towards you sometimes, and just plain picks on you or someonebody else you like on other days?"

"Well, I suppose so, but that's not what's causing these change of feelings..." May said in frustration. "But you know what, Mitchel? I'm pretty jealous of you!"

Mitchel looked perplexed.

"Huh?"

"You actually have it easier than me! I mean, you know for sure that you hate Ann for one thing, but then you clearly like being with Mary! You don't get to be confused as I am about how you feel towards other!" she complained.

Mitchel chuckled nervously. "Ah... okay... I'm glad you're not listening to the crazy adults--"

"Oh, don't worry about that! Some adults around here are just plain weird!"

"Anyway, I'm glad your not listening to those gossip-obsessed crazies, but where did you get off knowing I'm fine with Mary?" Mitchel cried.

May giggled. "I always see you two talking in the Library. The two of you look happy together."

Mitchel nodded his head slowly. "... I guess this is better than this same little girl assuming that I like Ann, too..." he uttered aloud.

"So... are you two planning on going out soon?" May asked curiously.

Mitchel shook his head. "No, no. I'm sorry. I'm not really into her THAT way, and I already think she's romantically involved with Gray, so I should probably stay of the way for the sake of my glasses-wearing friend. But that DOESN'T mean I don't think she's attractive in any way. In fact, her humble cuteness is a truly pleasant quality." he stated.

"Oh, well I'm sorry to here that. You two seem really nice together." May said in dissapointment.

"Is that a fact? Well, I'm sorry to let you down like that." Mitchel lamented.

"So then... are you trying to go out with Popuri, instead?" May asked enthusiastically.

"...I give up..."


	6. Bar Brawl

**Chapter 6**

Another fine day was about to come to an end at Mineral Town, and Mitchel decided to spend the remaining hours having fun with reputed hottie Karen; however, the meaning of the word "fun" for Karen usually involved chugging wine, so the eccentric farmer was dragged out of the Supermarket and towards the Inn so she could challenge Duke for yet another battle of drinking supremacy.

"Here we go again..." Mitchel thoughtas Karen proceeded to yank him towards her haven of bliss.

"Do you really insist on doing this week after week? Even you have some sort of limit, and you'll probably die before a hangover. I mean, I enjoy a cup of wine every once in awhile, too. Maybe that's why we're friends today, but chug-fests make me nervous. I can barely go over two glasses, myself." Mitchel complained.

"No way! It's always guaranteed free wine for me! I'm not going to pass up such a sweet deal, especially when it means sticking it to Old man Duke! And you know how satisfying both pleasures are for me!" Karen exclaimed.

"Is it comparable to the joy I have when I hold a feathery chicken in my grasp?" Mitchel asked.

"It's better than that.." Karen smirked.

When the childhood friends finally reached the Inn, what they saw wasn't quite typical Wednesday Night for them. What they saw was Duke, pre-passed out to Karen's dismay, and certain red-head drunk with tears.

"A...A...A...ANN!" Mitchel shouted in fury.

"YEAH! WHAT THE HECK, GIRL? I'M SUPPOSED TO BE THE ONE OUT-DRINKING DUKE TODAY!" Karen added, which triggered a blank stare from Mitchel.

"Hmph, that's funny. I didn't even knew Ann could out drink Duke in the first place. I've never seen her drink before" Karen pondered.

Despite her watery eyes, Ann turned around and gazed at Mitchel in drunken fury.

"YOU CHIKHEEN LAVIN' BASDEERD... Ann cried at the top of her lungs. "CLIFF ISN TALKIN TAH MEH... HE WUZ SOMEUN SPECHUL TAH ME... SOOMUN AH MAGHT EVEN LUBBED... BUT NOOOOOOO... HEZ AVODIN MAH... HE LEFT MEH AAAAAAHHHHHL ALONNE! DIS IS AAAAHL URL FAULLLT!" AH KNOW ID IZZZ!"

Mitch slaped his head. Apparently, he learned to comprehend drunken speech with the time he spent with Karen.

"SHOVE IT!" he shouted. "HOW MANY TIMES DO YOU HAVE TO BLAME FOR ALL THIS CRAP? MAYBE HE ISN'T TALKING TO YOU BECAUSE YOU'RE ACTING LIKE A PUSHY BITCH! EVER THOUGHT ABOUT THAT?"

Ann looked like she was on the verge of sobering up from Mitchel's insult, until she downed another bottle of wine, which caused her face to turn a deeper shade of red.

"DONNN... EVAH... K-KAHL MEH A BIDSHT... YAH LITTLE DERANGED KREP!" she yelled. "YAH TAKE THAD BAHK!"

With those words proclaimed, Ann leapt up from her chair and charged towards Mitchel with a fist ready.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

In a matter of moments, Mitchel was caught in a flury of fists. The young chicken farmer was forced to dodge devastating blow after blow. One missed blow even forced a dent into the wall. Another forced a fist-shaped hole. After a few more desperate punches, Drunken Ann halted her assault and gave off labored, drunken breaths.

Karen simply watched by in amazement with the punching and dodging action that played out before her.

"Wow... Mitch is fighting a drunk person...

Drunken Ann then raised her angry fist at Mitchel once again.

"URRRR TAKIN' EBERTHING AWAH FROM MEH... WHY WON' CLIFF TALK TAH ME? WHY IS POPURAH SPENDIN' MORE THAM WID YOU?" she slurred. "AND NAH DAD THINGS AH'M UR LAVER OR SOMETHIN! YAH MADE DAD SIQ IN DA HED OR SOMETHIN!"

Mitchel blinked. "Wait... even Doug thinks I like Ann? I was wondering why he was still nice to me since we yell at each other a lot. What the hell is wrong with these people?" he thought to himself.

"GIHV CLIFF BAK TAH MEH! AND LEAVE POPUREH ALONE!" she shouted before before rushing towards Mitchel again. This time, she launched a surprise haymaker as she aimed straight at Mitchel's face. Unfortunately for her, the attentive chicken farmer saw it coming and moved neatly out of the way, leaving the drunken female fighter open to attack.

"Okay, I had enough of it! I'm retaliating!" Mitchel thought as he clenched his own fist. "This isn't an excuse for her to go off the handle after harassing me everyday!"

With Ann's back turned, Mitchel was about to deliver a knockout blow when a streak of pink and red intervened.

"POPURI?" Mitchel and Karen exclaimed at the same time.

Ann turned around due to the yelling. She then started cracking up as she saw the pink-haired girl's back faced towards her.

"AHAHAHAHA! IZ A SILLY PINK BUSH! WHEEEEEEE!" she yelled shamelessly before falling to her knees.

Both Mitchel and Popuri blinked at the tipsy girl before turning their attentions toward each other.

"Please don't do this, anymore! Why do you two have to keeping fighting like this? Don't you see how pointless it is? You're disrupting the peace around here for nothing!" Popuri said desperately.

Mitchel shrugged. "Don't look at me. She's the one who's been pestering me. I even resorting to ignoring her for a time, but damn it, she always finds some way to push the envelope for my sake."

"Still, it's your responsibility, too! Maybe you could try harder to avoid this! Maybe you could try to apologize as well, but you can't just blame it all on Ann! I honestly think you two could get along much better than this. You two are my friends, so I believe... maybe it's possible you two could see in each other the good things, like I can..."

The sober chicken farmer took a good look into Popuri's eyes, and felt a slight change in his pulse. "This is the mature woman acting out again." he thought with an inner smile.

"Mitchel... why... do you not like Ann, anyway?" Popuri asked. "I asked her the same thing, and all she told me was that you were creepy..."

Mitchel groaned. "If you say I shouldn't blame it on the way she treats me, then I guess... I just don't like her." he answered. "Some people just don't mesh well together due to personality, and I guess that unwritten rule applies to Ann and I."

Popuri sighed. "I'm... sorry... I just don't know how things can work out like that..." she confessed.

"That's because she's pure of heart, it seems." Mitchel thought to himself. "I used to be able to think that way, too... there were some people close to me in the city that fought constantly, and I was confused how they could hate each other like that... and then I start getting ridiculed in the city for the way I am... especially by my family. Come to think of it, I think Ann reminds me a little of my sister. Man, I always hated how she blamed me for everything and treated me like crap!"

"It's... because you're so kindhearted" he said understandingly, "you can't stand a conflict like ours, especially when it's between two of your friends, huh?"

"Yeah..." she answered wistfully.

"I see..." Mitchel uttered softly.

"But... that won't change your mind, will it?"

The raven-haired chicken boy folded his arms and gazed at the ceiling thoughtfully. He then focused his look down at the pink-haired peacemaker before him.

"To be honest, I can't guarantee you things will get better between the two of us, but I guess I could try to make some amends. I mean, I know why it is she's being a b... er, big problem lately, so I could help out with that." Mitchel noted.

Popuri lowered her head slightly. "I'... sorry to hear the bad news, but I'm grateful for how honest you've been with me. I trust your word."

She then turned her head to tell her red-haired friend the good news. "You hear that, Ann? Mitchel will try to be more considerate towards you from now on, and---"

But poor, tipsy Ann finally passed out from intoxication.

"Uh, never mind..."

She then turned to face Mitchel once again.

"I'm sorry to see that she couldn't hear what you had to say..." Popuri said with disappointment.

"It's alright. I doubt she'd believe me in her paranoid state, anyway." Mitchel groaned.

Popuri then clasped her hands around Mitchel's.

"Still, could you please try to avoid another fight like this? I don't want to violence between you two..." she asked sincerely.

The pink-haired girl's grasp was tight enough to ensnare the young man's hands, but gentle enough to keep her from hurting him.

Mitchel paused for a moment while thinking about a proper response.

"Sure... I wasn't trying to escalate things to this level, anyway. She just sorta went after me like a drunken boxer..." Mitchel answered.

"...I'll... forgive you this one time, but I don't want it to happen again, understand?" Popuri stated sternly.

"Yeah.. I understand..." Mitchel answered in slight hesitation.

Popuri then launched herself into Mitchel's reflexive embrace.

"Thank goodness... I was worried... someone would get hurt..." she said with tears in her eyes.

At this point, Mitchel's face turned tomato red.

"Ah...er... how did it get to this?" he thought to himself.

While Karen watched this touching scene to keep her mind preoccupied from its sober state, an ominous shadow crept silently behind Mitchel with a fist raised above its head. It seemed to possess violent intent towards this hugging pair.

"Excuse me." Mitchel said as she gently released his hold on Popuri and performed a swift back fist on the assailant.

The figure then let out a familiar moan as it collapsed on the floor. Mitchel, Popuri, and Karen then turned to see the mysterious assaliant. It turned out to be Ann.

Mitchel let out a bashful laugh. "Hey, that doesn't count! She tried to get me from behind! She was playing dirty and I was merely trying to defend myself!" he explained.

As Popuri stared at the unconscious body in disbelief, Karen applauded the whole scene she witnessed.

"Great fight!" Karen cheered. "I didn't know you had it in you, Mitch!"

Mitchel turned to face Karen and made a bashful gesture of gratitude.

"I wonder how long she'll be able to keep herself entertained without alcohol?" he wondered.

**Omake: Just Wanted to be Friends**

Ever since the incident at the Inn, Ann and Mitchel have been trying their hardest to befriend the depressed Cliff and hope to cheer him up. However, wherever they cross paths with the brown-haired vagabond, he always rejects their gestures of friendship and walks away in despair. Both considered asking each other the cause of Cliff's problems, believing one another to be the cause of his problems, however, they still despised each other, so that option was immediately cut from both of their minds. Instead, they decided one more option: do invite the poor guy to a day of fun.

Unfortunately, that ended up being a flop as well, since both of them planned their days of fun on the exact same day, at the exact same time, but at different locations. Even worse is that Cliff somehow mistook these invitations as date notes meant to be exchanged between the two archenemies, but he couldn't find the "courage" to set the two of them up, so he instead went back to return the notes to their original senders.

"I'm sorry, I just can't..." he said to both Mitchel and Ann for each respective visit.

Both rejected parties growled in frustration and had their own conclusions in mind:

"That creep is making Cliff too miserable to let him have any fun, isn't he?" Ann thought.

"I bet that psychotic red-head convinced Cliff I'm some dangerous spaz..." Mitchel thought.


	7. Cliff's Hope

**Chapter 7**

For one reason or another, the disheartened Cliff took a walk around the North side of town until he came across Rick and Karen talking by the Supermarket.

"Those two look really happy together..." Cliff thought with a sigh. "I'm envious..."

After awhile, Karen noticed the time and figured it was time for her to go to work, so she head right back into the supermarket. At the same time, Rick was just about to return to the Chicken Farm until he passed by Cliff.

"Oh, hello Cliff!" Rick called out cheerfully. "What are you doing around here?"

"I don't know, really..." Cliff softly uttered.

Rick blinked in confusion. He then went up close to confirm Cliff's mood.

"Cliff, are you okay? You seem depressed." Rick said in concern.

Cliff nodded. "Rick... how did you do it?"

"Do what?" Rick said as he scratched his head.

"You and Karen... you look so happy together." Cliff moaned. "I hear she's fairly tough to approach due to a few issues, especially her drinking habit! How is it that you

managed to hook up with her?"

Rick glared at him. "Wait, what? You're asking me for girl help?" he exclaimed. "But... but Karen and I aren't officially dating! We-we just---"

"Is that so?" Cliff said. "Because you two look really close, so I assumed---"

"That's an interesting assumption!" Rick cried. "But if there was a chance for us to be dating, I would! Sure, I care about that girl a lot, but I don't know exactly where Karen's feelings lie!"

Cliff nearly smiled. "I have a feeling you two would make a great couple..." he answered wistfully.

"Thank you again..." Rick said in surprise. "But seriously, why do you need help with girls in the first place?"

"It's Ann..." Cliff groaned.

"Ann? You mean that spunky girl from the Inn that helps out there? The one that would be more useful around the house than my sister?" he cried shamelessly.

Cliff nodded. "She's been so kind and sweet to me since I stayed at the Inn, she's really grown on me. I think I've become quite fond of her, actually..." he admitted.

"Yeah, I suppose she'd be nice to be around." Rick said with a nod.

"But then, I heard news that she and Mitchel were into each other, and her father Doug was only happy to confirm this to me in the middle of one of their spats!" Cliff cried.

"Ah, yes... that was the biggest buzz going around Mineral Town, isn't it? I forgot those two were supposed to be the hottest couple around..." Rick noted.

"What am I supposed to do? Ann and I were on the verge of a lasting relationship, but then Mitchel comes along, and now I feel so distant. I can't even confront either of them, anymore."

"Well, that's a pretty tough situation. And I can tell you really like her." Rick replied. "Do you think her current relationship is what's best for Ann?"

Cliff shrugged. "... well, they haven't really shared their feelings yet, neither do they even consider each other friends. In fact, when I saw them going at it, I thought they were mortal enemies. But Doug made it very clear to me what's going on between them."

"Then maybe there's still hope!" Rick proclaimed as he clutched his fist. "Considering how often they fight, you should consider yourself her savior from sanity! Show her you can provide a more stable relationship and open up to her first!" Rick suggested.

"But... what if she rejects me? What if her secret feelings for Mitchel are really special to her?" Cliff said.

"Then, I guess it'll be up to you to decide what to do from then. The best advice anyone can offer you is to be yourself." Rick suggested. "Heck, I didn't have to bother changing my image for Karen, and she liked me just fine! You'll just have to hope Ann will like you more."

The vagabond suddenly felt his hope rise. "Thanks, Rick. Maybe I still have a chance with Ann." he said with a grin.

He then thought through the few instances the dysfunctional pair went at each other without any hint of passion behind their actions.

"I just don't understand it... if those two can't stand each other for so many reasons, what would they see in each other that would make all those fights worthwhile? Why can't they just have feelings for people that could allow a healthier relationship?" Cliff asked.

Rick shrugged. "I suppose no one's ever seen it before, but Karen and I have argued over things before. It just happens to be a strange sign that shows how two people care about each other. Anyway, being really kind towards someone doesn't necessarily mean you "love" them either. For one thing, I've always seen that farmer giving chocolates to my sister everyday and hanging around with her, but I'm pretty sure he's just doting on her. I mean, he usually calls her a "comrade" or whatever, and that's not exactly an ideal pet name! Heck, the only one who's shown any special interest in my little sister is that annoying playboy, Kai! Ha, I bet he's just desperate to wanna be with someone as whiny and childish as Popuri!"

Cliff laughed. "You must really care about your little sister if you tease her so much like that!"

Meanwhile, at the Goddess Spring, Mitchel and Popuri were hanging out again, but for some unknown reason, they were both really angry.

"Why do I feel this sudden urge to hurt Rick?" the pink-haired girl thought.

"Why do I feel like my chicken comrade Rick is acting like a moron?" Mitchel thought.

Also, at the Library, Mary was sitting at her desk by her lonesome self. Apparently, the few patrons she gets haven't arrived yet.

"I still feel ignored, somehow. Is it just me, or am I the only one in this town who's aware of my friendship with Mitchel?" she said to herself.

She then let go of the issue with a shrug.

"Oh well..."

_Author's Note: What! No Omake? What the heck? Yeah, haven't done the author's notes for awhile, but I'd like to take this time to thank rosebabykiss forbeing my first reviewer in a fic once again. And… GASP! I'm actually getting more than two regular reviewers! I find this a rarity among my fics! What have I done to garner such personally unprecedented attention? Anyway, I apologize for no side story theatre here, especially with such a short Chapter. Whatever. Just read on, please… and anonymous reviewers are accepted, in case you were wandering…_


	8. Speculation

**Chapter 8**

A few days passed since the incident at the Inn. Manna decided to visit Anna's house to pick up on a recipe or two, as well as share more local gossip.

"It seems the fist fight between Mitchel and Ann is pretty well-known around town! Nobody can stop talking about it!" Manna exclaimed.

"Yes, but I've heard so many versions of the story, it got pretty crazy! I even heard one version where Mitchel resorted to performing Kung Pao Martial Arts along with his prized chicken, Ruby." Anna said.

"And that's why we gossip, my dear Anna! Only through our collaboration can we find out the truth! I mean, there are just so many stories like you said, but I feel I have a knack of getting the most accurate story out of anyone, because you won't believe how exaggerated it becomes, or what assumptions people make! Can't you believe it?"

Anna nodded slowly. "I tried to find out what Sasha knew, since her daughter happened to be a witness, but she couldn't get her to talk. Apparently, Karen got drunk the following morning to make up for lost time." she sighed.

"Well then, maybe we could go talk to Ann or Popuri or Mitchel for the full story! But then again, all three of them don't seem interesting in sharing, well, at least Ann claimed she was drunk the entire time, but we all know Ann isn't the type to get drunk, so it's likely an excuse she used that ended up obscuring the whole story! I also think Mitchel and Popuri were in denial of the whole thing, maybe because two of them are afraid of bringing attention to themselves, and Mitchel doesn't want people to think he's some violent ruffian!"

"I guess the thought of Ann getting herself drunk is a little far-fetched, but she did seem a little moody lately." Anna mentioned. "I heard from a few people Mitchel and Popuri are starting to get pretty close now."

Manna wore a sheepish grin upon hearing this. "Hmm... interesting... this is juicy stuff! " she said with a glint in her yes. "Whatever Mitchel and Ann were fighting over must've pushed them both over the edge! That Mitchel spends so much time with Popuri that maybe he's now using her to get Ann jealous... and it's working! Ooohhh... that little schemer! But it's working, and sooner or later.. Ann will be filled with so much jealousy, that she'll have no choice but to confess her true feelings, and Mitchel will be more than happy to return those feelings, and soon, the Blue Feather will be played! We'll finally here Wedding Bells the first time since forever!"

"That sounds interesting, but... it still concerns me that those two actually fought in hand-to-hand combat. Whatever happened between the two of them must be serious." Anna said in concern.

"And that's exactly why we have to help those two make up that much sooner! I mean, stubborn people can just fight on and on like Duke and I, but when the two parties are aware how much they like each other, it's always easier to make up! I just wish petty quarrelling wasn't such a regular occurrence sometimes! But a fight to break out between Mitchel Ann? That's rare! That's over the top! And if I didn't know any better, which of course I know much better than most realize, I would think that those two just completely hate each other like natural enemies! But you know when a man and a woman can despise each other with a fiery passion, that there's another kind of passion lurking within their blessed hearts! You know what they say, "Love and Hate" are the opposite sides of the same coin or something like that!"

Suddenly, a knocking came at the door. Anna decided to answer it, finding Rick outside with a carton of eggs.

"Here's your dozen egg order, just like you asked!" Rick announced.

"Thank you very much, Rick! I'm just glad you're willing to provide this sort of service to the community." Anna asked.

"Much obliged, ma'am!" Rick said with a grin. "Well, I better be off now. Karen's waiting for me by the supermarket and---"

"WAITAMINUTE!" Manna blurted out.

Both Rick and Anna turned to face the chatty chick.

"Uh... hi, Manna. What do you want?" Rick asked curiously.

"You're one of Karen's best friends, right? So I'm sure maybe YOU might know something about the brawl at the Inn?" Manna asked desperately.

Rick scratched his head while he thought about anything Karen had to say on the matter. "Well, you can be sure a fight broke out. Karen told me Ann was really out of it and charged in at poor Mitchel. I heard the whole thing was pretty one-sided with Ann doing all the attacking at first." he explained.

"So I guess Ann really WAS drunk, that day! I guess she gets really violent when she's under the influence." Anna noted.

"So, yeah. Karen told me Mitchel had to dodge a lot of attacks, which were apparently strong enough to make a few dents in the Inn. But then Ann said something about Cliff and Popuri, then tried to knock Mitchel out with one blow. Sometime around that, my sister stepped in to stop the fight. Popuri told me she was getting tired of all their fighting too, and wanted to help put an end to it. For the most part, she was successful, until Ann decided to sneak up behind the two of them and take her drunken vengeance on Mitchel. That was when Mitchel ended the fight with a back fist. My sister really didn't want to talk about that part, but it really impressed Karen for some reason."

Anna decided to ponder this tale for a bit, while Manna nodded in confirmation.

"Aha! Ann did say something about Popuri! This proves she's angry because she's jealous!" Manna declared.

"But... how does Cliff fit into this? Didn't you say Cliff's name was mentioned in the fight?" Anna said.

"Yeah. Ann said something about everything being Mitchel's fault that Cliff was doing something to her. In fact, some of their arguments tend to spark when Ann says something about Cliff..." Rick mentioned.

"Ooh! Another jealous tactic by Ann, this time!" Manna concluded. "Ann must be using Cliff to rile up Mitchel, just like he's using Popuri to get Ann jealous! Poor little pawns used in a game of love gone awry!"

"That sounds a little too dramatic coming from Manna, but I guess it makes sense when you think about it." Rick said.

"Personally, I think Cliff and Ann would make a better couple. She used to be so sweet to him until Mitchel came along. Then it was just fight after fight between that dysfunctional pair while poor Cliff was left to wander around too look for another girl." Anna lamented. "It's sad... to see such a potential couple broken up in an instant."

"But I guess it's like what happened between Karen and Kai. You know how those two used to go out together until he moved on to my sister. So then poor Karen ends up coming to me for comfort while I have to protect my sister from that pesky playboy!" Rick proclaimed.

"But... weren't Karen and Kai just friends all that time?" Anna said to Manna in secret.

"Yes, I believe so. But I found out Karen loved that beach boy for the longest time, while Kai just didn't feel that passion. The poor girl drank every chance she got that week she was rejected." Manna replied sympathetically.

"Well ladies, I'm sorry to say this, but I better go now. I shouldn't keep a good friend of mine, waiting." Rick said aloud.

"Oh. Well then, thanks again, Rick! It was a pleasure clarifying some things with your help!" Ann cried.

"Bye, Rick! Good luck with Karen!" Manna called out.

The eager young man in glasses blushed from hearing Manna's comment as he left through the door. He returned a simple wave goodbye before he headed off towards the Supermarket.

"That's enough gossip for today, I guess. How about we get started on making chocolate cake?" Anna suggested.

"Oh, great idea, Anna! I was wondering forever what it is you had in store for me this week, and I'm just overjoyed to learn it's chocolate cake! I mean, it's a personal favorite of mine, as well as many other people, I presume! It's all because chocolate so delicious, and so is cake, so chocolate in a cake has to be the perfect idea for a desert! Come on, Anna, teach me!" Manna cried.

"Alright, first of all, you'll need---"

"WAAAAIIIIITTTT!" a high-pitched squeal cried out as a streak of red and white swept into kitchen.

"Oh, Popuri dear, I was wondering where you were today! You usually arrive for cooking recopies so early that I assumed you were sick or preoccupied." Anna said in delight.

The pink-haired girl had to catch her breath for a moment.

"I'm... sorry for being late..." she said during a few intervals of inhaling and exhaling.

"So then.. what are we making today, Miss Anna?" Popuri inquired.

"I'm glad you asked, Popuri! Today will be an extra special treat from my kitchen: Chocolate Cake!" Anna answered.

Popuri squealed with delight.

"This is perfect!" she thought to herself. "I have Valentine's Day to consider, and a chocolate cake will be perfect! Finally, I have the ideal way to show him how I feel..."

**Omake: Blessing**

One fine day at the church, Cliff found himself alone while standing before the altar.

"Great Harvest, please hear my words! Why is it that I must suffer so much? I thought I could find peace after leaving my troubled home, but still I am hounded by misfortune! And now... the love of my life has already been stolen from me!

I understand that maybe I may have committed some unforgivable sin without realizing it, but can you please hear my wish and spare Ann her grief? Even with love in her grasp, she still cannot find the courage to claim it, so I pray you give her and Mitchel my blessing. Please let them find happiness where I cannot..."

Suddenly, a mystical force filled the church. A blessed aura shaped itself from sparkles before the hopeful young man. In a matter of moments, the Harvest Goddess herself, in all her green-haired glory, arrived in the church.

"The Harvest Goddess? B-But... but I thought you only appear to people in the pond!" he exclaimed.

"Yes, that's true, but I'll make you an exception since you're a special case." she explained.

"Really? Then... will you grant my wish for Ann?" he asked desperately.

"I'm sorry for all the misfortune that has befallen you throughout your life, but there's little I can do to fix your sordid past. However, I have some good news!" The Harvest Goddess announced.

"I can save 15 percent by switching to---"

"No! Not that!" the Harvest Goddess exclaimed. "Listen, honey. Despite everything you've heard, Ann and Mitchel don't love each other. I can see what people feel in their hearts. Besides, the strange chicken guy chucked Ann into my pond the other day."

"Wait... what? Are you serious?" Cliff cried hopefully.

"Yes! Are you insane? Those two clearly hate each other!" the Harvest Goddess scoffed. "But from what I can tell, Ann really has a thing for you, and Mitchel's been trying hard to remedy your sorrow. You should go for it!"

Cliff felt awed by this sudden news. "Is this true? Does Ann really have feelings for me? But then why--- no, it has to be true! I'm hearing it from the Harvest Goddess herself! She's supposed to be this omnipotent being that I didn't even believe in at first! But here she is, bearing good news!"

"I... I can't believe it!" Cliff shouted. "Ann loves me?"

The Harvest Goddess smiled a gentle smile at Cliff. "Indeed. Cliff, you must realize that only you can grant her the happiness you believe she deserves."

"I don't know what to say... Rick told me the same thing, but I wasn't sure if I could really go for it! But to hear from the Goddess herself that Ann has feelings for me... thank you!" Cliff cried.

"You're welcome, Cliff. But perhaps you should go to her. Poor Ann has lost her way since you stopped hanging around her." the Harvest Goddess informed him.

"Really? B-but... now I feel let her down somehow, and I still don't feel comfortable with sharing y feelings..."

"It is alright, Cliff. What Ann really needs most is a friend right now. And that friend is you. Go on and rebuild your relationship with her. I am certain she will still open her heart to you." the Harvest Goddess replied.

"Right!" Cliff cried with new found hope. "Thank you, again, Harvest Goddess!"

"This has been a pleasure." The Harvest Goddess told Cliff.

The vagabond then sped out of the church to find Ann at the Inn, while the Harvest Goddess stayed behind with her arms crossed.

"This has been one heck of a year. A bunch of gossipers kept praying that I'll hook up two angry mortals against each other, just to get their fill of romance. They're practically asking me to force a mongoose and a snake to fall in love! At least Cliff's wish was made by a sincere, compassionate heart! But it looks like the love lives of this town is finally running around smoothly..."

The Harvest Goddess then faded from the church, with intentions of good tidings forming in her head.


	9. Kai, Rick, and Mitchel

**Chapter 9**

One clear summer day, Rick and Kai were off having a discussion by the pier. The glasses-wearing chicken farmer looked quite angry, while the bandana-wearing traveler looked rather nervous.

"Listen, just stay away from my sister, you got it?"

"What? What the heck is this about?"

"Don't play dumb with me! I know that you've been getting pretty close to my sister, and it feels a little too close for my liking!"

"Hey! Watch it! I'm not trying to go that way with her! I'm just---"

"I know you've had plans to take her with you once the summer's done, but I won't allow it!"

"I'm...not...forcing her to. In fact, I'm still patiently awaiting her final answer as we speak. Besides, I didn't suggest this for my sake. She just seemed so... cooped up in here. Maybe you keep complaining about her being so childish is because you're not giving her time to grow! Have you ever thought about that?"

"You sound just like my irresponsible father! Making some "romantic" excuse while going off on a whim! Well, I'm not going to stand for it! I'm not going to let you take her away, only to abandon her when it's convenient!"

"...I'm... not like that..."

"Really? Well, didn't you just leave behind your family without any notice?"

"..."

"I thought so!"

"But... she's my friend! I wouldn't hurt her like that! I promise!"

"Yeah... just like how Dad promised to return..."

An eerie silence filled the air of the beach. Both young men exchanged uneasy glances. At the same time, Mitchel watched on in secret. He seemed to have mix feelings about the conversation that unfolded before him.

"I swear, I'm not like that... I really just want help her."

"She'll be fine just here!"

"I see... well... I'm not interested in causing her any trouble..."

"...then you better realize what really is best for her."

The two gave each other one more antagonizing glance before Rick stormed off, passing Mitchel as he non-chillingly picked up beach herbs. The raven-haired chicken boy then slowly approached Kai before he could make it back into the restaurant.

"Kai..." Mitchel called out sternly.

Kai sighed as he slowly turned around, only to be surprised by who stood before him.

"Mitchel?" Kai exclaimed.

"Listen, like I told Rick earlier, I'm not---"

"I already heard what you two had to say." Mitchel interrupted. "Besides, what is it you were expecting me to say?"

Kai remained silent.

"Good gosh, man! You're assuming things about me! That's the crap I couldn't stand while living in the city! People always assumed the worst of me due to my "unusual" behavior, and I always got punished for things that wasn't my fault! I hated that!" he complained.

The purple-bandana man stared in shock. Apparently, that was something he could relate to.

"I'm sorry..." Kai quickly apologized.

"Anyway, I suppose there are some assumptions you made that were right. I'm... personally concerned about you hanging out with her, as well. I'm just not interested in scolding the daylights out of you like my comrade." he explained.

Kai nodded. "So you're pretty close to her as well..."

"Yes, I suppose I am." Mitchel said in a casual tone.

"Then, of course I'll listen to what you have to say." he replied.

Mitchel smiled faintly. "That's good hear."

He then brought his hands together and went back into a serious posture.

"Well, that young girl with fluffy pink hair has been good to me. I guess... her significance to me is similar to Rick's, but I prefer to be nice older brother. Being overprotective has never been my style, but life-altering choices are definitely a concern for me." he explained.

He then exhaled anxiously before going on.

"...Please don't let my comrade rattle you so much. I can tell you value what he has to say, but even I can admit he can be overzealous. Although he usually means well, sometimes my comrade can be an overbearing jerk. In this case, I have a feeling a lot of his resentment is there because you remind him of his father, and I can understand that issue for two reasons.

One reason is because he abandoned a fine woman like Lillia. Now, she may not be my actual mother, but she's been very kind and considerate since my stay here. I guess you can say she's the closest thing I have to a mother here. And I suppose I resent Rod, since he didn't seem to consider his wife's opinion before going off on some random trip.

The other reason is that I personally despise my Dad, as well. He's just done so many unforgivable things to me, and I suppose he "helped" in my decision to move to Mineral Town."

A swift breeze blew by as Mitchel stood by in eerie silence.

Kai looked carefully at this usually easy-going guy's discomfort.

"So, he had a bit of a troubled past, too..." Kai thought to himself.

"But yeah, this is about Popuri, isn't it?" Mitchel said as he rubbed his head bashfully.

"No, that was very well said." Kai said seriously. "She told me some things about her father's sudden absence, and I'm actually glad to hear an outsider's actually concerning himself with this issue."

"Thank you." Mitchel softly uttered.

He then turned towards Rose Square with a thoughtful gaze before turning back to Kai.

"Well, you're the one who's known her longer, and she's said plenty of good things about you. And personally, I believe you're a fairly nice guy, so I have enough trust in you." Mitchel confessed.

"That's a relief..." Kai said with a partial smile. "Actually, this whole Three-season was meant for next year. I know she still has some growing up to do, and she's still depending on her family, so I can't take her away from all this immediately. But the thought of getting to see the world, and maybe even having the opportunity to see her father again, really excited her. I decided to give her time to think it over, but now she's becoming increasingly hesitant about it..."

"Hesitant?" Mitchel blurted.

"Yeah. I think she discovered another reason to stick around..."

"Then why did you have to put up that front with my comrade when you thought she was going to reconsider?" Mitchel nearly shouted.

"Because he was right. I was planning to take her with me after sumer's end one year, and I still intend to." he stated.

"I see... so must you REALLY liker her... a lot..." he said in amusement.

"Yes I do. But it seems you might care about her more than you let on." Kai answered back.

Mitchel said nothing. He simply drummed his fingers on the side of his leg and looked back at Kai with a tired look.

"She talks about you quite a bit, as well. Popuri shared with me how you've got along with her since the Spring, when you arrived here. She says you're a kind and fun friend, and that she's glad she has someone to share her chicken fetish with someone other than her family. She's always enthusiastic whenever she brings you up, so I figured you were a pretty interesting character. You sounded like the kind of friend she was missing for a long time."

Mitchel chuckled lightly. "I feel like I have a solid "buddy" relationship with her. I'm fine with it, though. It keeps me relaxed." he grinned.

"Yeah, that's what I believed what was going on between you two as well, but she's been behaving a little differently, lately. I think her outlook on everyone's starting to change..." Kai said cryptically.

Mitchel had a puzzled look on his face.

"Uh... she isn't starting to see me as a jerk after what happened at the Inn, is she?" he thought nervously.

"For one thing, all she used to do whenever we talked about Rick was complain about her, but now she's actually being more sympathetic towards him..." Kai said in amazement. "I think she's even behaved more sensitively around me."

"I guess she must really like him back, then." Mitchel thought.

"But she still looks up to you, like someone she can depend on." Kai finished.

"Like another Big Brother to look after her?" Mitchel said with a smirk.

"More like a close friend she values dearly..." Kai answered.

The eccentric chicken farmer dropped his smile immediately.

"A "close friend" doesn't say much to me." Mitchel uttered in disappointment,

"Nor does it to me, but it certainly says a lot when she said she looks up to you. It says even more to me when she's starting to change..." Kai confessed.

Mitchel looked up at the clouds with a glazed look in his eyes. "She's behaving more and more like that woman I saw in her one day. I guess it makes me happy that she's changing like this, but what's causing this?" he thought to himself.

"Are you accepting this change?" Mitchel asked wistfully.

"Yes. Those past fond memories mean a lot to me, but I believe she may be changing for the better." Kai answered.

Mitchel blinked a few times while still gazing into sky.

"Do you think Popuri will still be herself with all of this going on?" Mitchel asked more meaningfully.

"I'm sure she'll be the same, sweet, pink-haired girl I've grown fond of." he answered.

Mitchel then slowly lowered his head, revealing a cheerful grin.

"I like you."

Kai gave Mitchel a funny look.

"What?"

"Like I said before, I don't have any hard feelings towards you. You're a pretty neat person, so I actually wanted to be friends." Mitchel said in a friendly tone.

"But... weren't we just talking about a certain somebody not too long ago?" Kai asked.

"Yes, but this conversation is between the two of us. Besides, I got to learn a few things about her that you already knew, and you were able to do the same. I think we can get along well." Mitchel calmly explained.

"Is that so?" Kai said with an amused grin. "Popuri's right. You really are quite the character!"

"Why, thank you!" Mitchel proclaimed with a stage bow. "I'm just glad to know we've gone through this whole thing without making a problem out of it!"

"I'm glad to know you're really fine with everything!" Kai answered.

The two young man then shared a hearty laugh together as they can finally relieve themselves of the heavy atmosphere from before.

"So this is the one named Kai, then? The same guy that most the women go far, and all the men grumble about? I don't see what's really wrong him. There are things he actually cares about!" Mitchel thought to himself.

"Thank you for the good time, Mitchel! And sure, I'll be happy to call you my friend." Kai grinned.

"Wait a sec! You mean you have to go now? I actually wanted to talk about something without worrying about dying of tension or something!" Mitchel exclaimed.

"Yeah, but I do have a job to do, and I don't want to be held up. So we should just stop this conversation." Kai said regretfully.

Mitchel nodded in understanding. "Okay. I guess I better get these herbs back to the Shipping Bin before 5:00 if I want to be paid for It." he groaned.

"Well then, how about coming over to my shack, sometime? I have plenty of cooking experience, and I can make a pretty mean pizza!" Kai said proudly.

Mitchel shrugged. "Maybe... if I find time. But I better leave you to your work now, right? Good bye then!"

The black-haired chicken boy was about to leave the scene, but Kai didn't move an inch.

"Wait a minute..."

"Yes?"

Kai lowered his head slightly, showing off more of his purple bandana.

"What would you say if I believed that... maybe you had something to do with how Popuri's been maturing lately?" Kai asked seriously.

"I would have to say that I'm not too sure about that..." Mitchel answered.

Kai nodded in confirmation.

"Goodbye, Mitchel."

"Goodbye, Kai."

Immediately, the two young men went on with their lives. Mitchel headed right out of the beach, towards the town, while Kai went back into his Summer Beach house.

Later that day, Mitchel approached Rick for his side of the argument.

"Hello, Rick." Mitchel greeted the spectacled young man.

"Good Evening, Mitchel." Rick said back.

"You know, I happened to be at the beach earlier today, and I saw you and Kai talking about something. Now, I just wanted to say that---"

"You were there?" Rick exclaimed. "So then you know what that scoundrel Kai is up to as well, huh?"

"Actually---"

"You see it, too? How bad an influence Kai's been in this town, believing he can have his way with the women? And now he thinks he can just whisk Popuri away like in some cheesy romantic fantasy? Well, he's had another thing coming! Mitchel, I'm glad to see we're finally at an agreement on something else besides chicken care!" Rick cried.

Mitchel sighed in frustration. "Rick" he announced in a stern voice, "As my comrade, I'm glad to know someone who understands my appreciation of chickens; however, I must admit that I have a few problems with you. So I feel should be honest with you on this..."

"Really? What is it you have to share with me?" Rick asked curiously.

"I think you're getting carried away again. Kai's actually an okay guy, and you really don't have to make a big deal out of it." Mitchel said.

"I'm getting carried away?" Rick shouted. "You've got to be kidding me! Kai's trying to take Popuri away from her only family, and you think I should just chill out?"

"You sound more concerned that she may actually have feelings for him." Mitchel said.

"Well, of course I'm concerned about that, too! Popuri's still such a naive little girl, I'm afraid how easily she can be manipulated! Do you know the kind of things he could do to her?"

"I think you're more afraid of loosing someone in your family you actually care about." Mitchel replied.

"Yes! But why are you trying to be difficult with me?" Rick asked.

"Do you really know what your sister wants, and why?" Mitchel asked back seriously.

Hearing that question, Rick started to crack up.

"Oh man! You had me going there for a minute! For a minute there, I thought that maybe you had feelings for my little sister! But that's impossible! I know how much you just like to pal around with her, and besides, you really like Ann, right?"

Mitchel let out a frustrated growl. "Honestly... I don't like Ann. Cliff can have her for all I care." he said seriously.

"Yeah right!" Rick cried while still laughing.

Mitchel then folded his arms while standing erect.

"Rick... what would you have to say if it was true that I had feelings for Popuri?" he uttered in a low tone.

Rick stopped laughing when he saw the serious expression on Mitchel's face. He just stood there and gazed curiously at the black-haired farmer until his mind reached an apporpriate conclusion.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA---"

Rick's second outburst of laughter was immediately halted by a fist sent straight at his nose. Mitchel then marched away, consumed by anger. Rick simply twitched in confusion with the impression he was left with. He also had to hold his nose to help stop the blood flow.

"What the heck was that about?" he asked himself.

**Omake: Kai's Secret Life**

Mitchel, Popuri and Karen decided to stay at the Beach House for lunch. All three of them split a combo pizza with perfectly melted cheese.

"mmmmmm! Kai, you always make really good pizza!" Popuri cheered.

"It's not quite wine, but at least it's satisfying." Karen grinned.

"This stuff's just as good as those franchise pizza places! You have quite a knack for this!" Mitchel shouted.

Kai laughed humbly as he was paid all these compliments. "It just comes with experience. Thanks, guys."

"Where DID you learn how to cook like this, anyway? I rarely come across a person with this kind of culinary skill!" Mitchel cried.

Kai stared uncomfortably at the pizza the party of three was consuming. Numerous memories both sweet and sour made up his former life.

Kai was in fact, the disowned son and heir of Don Parmesan, the Godfather of the Pizzeria Mafia. While they delved in illegal arms in secret, this infamous group operated openly as an internationally successful franchise appropriately named after their very leader. This "Don Parmesan" Pizzeria had a quirky bovine mascot, which appealed to many children over the years with its trademark moo and its irresistible eyes.

Apparently, Kai himself had to learn the art of making pizza as part of his initiation. Being the easygoing guy he is, the purple-bandana man picked up on the art quite easily, and thanks to the support of the many pizza masters under his father's command, managed to make the art his own. He grew to love cooking various other foods, but things grew grim.

As heir of a Mafia, Kai also had to learn how to deal with the underworld trade. While the first few operations proved to be harmless enough, the following ones resulted in suffering and despair, whether it was because of a botched trade that injured Kai's subordinates, or a devastating crossfire that resulted in numerous casualties in both ends.

Kai's good nature could no longer take this, so he was forced to leave behind the family business, as well as his own family, to pursue a life of his choosing. He's been on the run, trying to perfect his cooking skills, ever since he fled to start his own life.

"Uh, Kai? Are you all there? I was just asking where you learned to cook a pizza of this caliber!" Mitchel cried out.

"Oh, um, right..." Kai muttered aloud. "Er... it was all self-taught!" he proclaimed.

All three customers gave Kai a blank stare.

"Really?" Karen asked curiously.

"Is that so?" Mitchel said patiently.

"Wow! I'm Impressed!" Popuri cried.

Kai slowly nodded. "...Sure! It required a lot of work, though. I wasn't exactly a natural!" he said aloud.

After giving more words of praise to Kai, the purple bandana guy gave a sigh of relief as the customers proceeded to talk amongst themselves.

"What was I supposed to tell them?" he thought to himself.

* * *

_Author's Notes: Oh no! It's approaching the end now? "Really? That was fast!" I know it's going by pretty fast, but I wasn't intending to draw this conflict out any longer. There's gotta be a resolution to all of this, and it's coming up quickly. Two Chapters left, people! I wanna see more reviewers, so if you've just been reading this for a while, please review now! Of course, I doubt that's really gonna happen, so thanks for sticking by rosebabykiss, Hammermaster, Kairi Tsubasa (sorry for slaughtering your sacred cow over and over and over...), and Blaze 909. I hope to see future fics of mine that can get this kind of attention..._

_ Or at least see a few more Ray or Jamie fanfiction out of the lot of you. Come on, guys! We need more Ray and/or Jamie fanfiction! More for the fisherman! More for the misunderstood androgynous cowboy! _

_ (Seriously, people! Jamie isn't some jerkish bad boy/girl! He/she's more like that grumpy old guy in your neighborhood that complains about how morality has slipped in society, except Jamie's younger looking!)  
_


	10. Singles Appreciation Day

**Chapter 10**

A few seasons passed. Kai left once summer passed, and for the most part, Fall passed by as usual.

Some of the villagers are still inexplicably convinced that Mitchel and Ann are destined to be lovers despite their open displays of hatred, but the eccentric chicken farmer chose to ignore the rumors. Instead, Mitchel continued relying on the quiet Librarian for morale support while he hung out with Popuri, Karen, The Doctor, and Elli for fun.

Meanwhile, Ann and Cliff managed to regain their abandoned friendship, and resumed their happy lives. Despite this newfound light in their relationship, poor Cliff could still not find the courage to confess his feelings to Ann. Still, neither seemed to mind how their lives were at the moment.

Unfortunately, Mitchel was still quite interested in befriending the ponytail vagabond, which caused even more conflicts with an overprotective Ann. Despite this, a vague, yet decent sort of friendship was forged between these two young men. The only thing is that they decided to meet in the church to talk, where they know Ann won't bother them.

But now, Winter has come. The morning of Valentine's Day has arrived to humble Mineral Town, and the hearts of some sing out to those they feel for. The symbols of their emotions have been carefully prepared for this day, and soon, they hope these symbols will leave a memorable impression on their chosen ones.

But one question in the whims of fate still remains:

Will the eccentric young farmer ever escape the insanity that plagues Mineral Town with gossip of unexisting love?

On that one special Winter Morning, Mitchel rose swiftly from his bead. He wasn't exactly why, but he felt the significance of this day. While he thought over the feeling that lingered over him, the raven-haired chicken boy consumed a partial loaf of imported Hawaiian before opening the door the greet the brisk, cool morning air.

But instead of seeing the shipping bin surrounded by heaps of snow, he was treated by the pleasing sight of Mineral Town's personal nurse.

"Oh, uh... hey, Elli." Mitchel said a casual tone. "What's going on today? Is it like some door-to-door nursing service today or something?"

Elli giggled pleasantly as she had a certain twinkle in her eye. "No, Mitchel! You mean, you honestly don't know what the occasion is today?"

Mitchel scratched his head while thinking over this. "Well... I remember back in the city, we used to call this day "Singles Appreciation Day" for us hardy and carefree folk, while a bunch of nut jobs shove heaping gobs of sickening romance up everybody else's asses. But I guess the lesser known name is "Valentine's Day", which was apparently named after some dude before it was corrupted by the frikin' greeting card industry. Why?"

"Happy Valentine's Day it is!" Elli exclaimed as she presented a chocolate wrapped in beautiful coloring.

"Oh..." Mitchel said in vague surprise. "So you guys celebrate it here, too?"

"Ha ha! Yes, of course it is! And chocolate happens to be our town's great symbol of compassion for this occasion!" Elli cheered.

"Really?" Mitchel uttered to himself. His grin then widened mischievously. "So then... does this mean you made an awesome globe-sized chocolate with tasty cream filling for my good buddy, Doctor Holiday?" he exclaimed.

Elli shook her head while her face flushed. "N-no... that sounds like a good idea, actually, but I had something else in mind... it was more of a special chocolate shake blended with the finest fruits you could offer me. He was really glad to taste it, and I'm really gratefully for having a friend like you around, so I thought I could show my appreciation with a little gift."

"Oh, neat." Mitchel answered calmly. "So people can offer candy as a simple gesture of friendship, just like how they make kids brings some in class!"

Elli nodded. "I suppose you could say that." she said with a grin as she placed her chocolate in Mitchel's hand.

"And I guess doing a little special is a good way to express something deeper than friendship!" Mitchel grinned smartly.

The young nurse nearly fainted with those words, but she managed to recover herself quickly. "Ah, yes... I suppose that can be true, too..."

"Oh, it's alright! Out of all the stupid gossip running around this town, I'm glad your relationship with my buddy is being supported this way! Everyone officially likes you two being together, including yours truly" Mitchel explained.

In response, Elli displayed an adorably bashful smile. "I see... I'm glad to hear of it."

The raven-haired farmer then played around with the unwrapped chocolate for a bit.

"Right. That's actually one of those special chocolate eggs with a tasty white filling. I had a feeling you might like it, so please enjoy it." Elli said while gesturing politely.

"Wow! I don't know where you got this, but I used to enjoy this kind of treat every once in awhile when I lived in the city! Thanks a lot, Elli!"

"You're quite welcome." Elli answered back. She then took a look at a clock inside when she realized the time. "Well, I think I should get going now! May said she wanted to accompany me back to the house for something special. I think she planned something for Stu!"

She then took a few steps back and waved a hand before heading towards town. "Good bye, Mitchel!"

"See ya later, Elli! And Happy Singles Appreciation Day!" Mitchel cried as he waved back.

Right after Elli left, Mary arrived with her own treat in hand.

"Happy Valentines Day!" she cried at the door as Mitchel greeted the glasses girl with a friendly smile.

"Ah, yes… the customary exchange between friends. It's a shame I really can't call it "Singles Appreciation Day" around here, because I feel like people are being paired up like some well-known boat story." Mitchel quipped.

Mary nodded. "I… want to thank you for everything you've done for me at this point. I wasn't sure how the new guy running the farm would treat me at first, but you ended up being a really good friend to me. It's just… visitors in the library are rare, and…"

"I think what needs to be said has already been shared." Mitchel replied with a warm smile.

Mary then took out a big wrapped bar of chocolate. "I remember you told me how much you enjoyed a chocolate and raspberry mix, so I went to the city the other day and got you this. I hope it's a good brand…"

Mitchel then took the bar from Mary's grasped and observed the wrapping. "Well… it's blue with some gold lining on it, and it even has a picture of the stuff… I think this is a familiar brand, so I'll be fine." He responded cheerfully.

Mitchel's typically carefree smile then morphed into one of slight mischief.

"Anyway, did you give the Chocolate cookies to Gray yet? I doubt there's any way that guy could resist a treat from you!" he teased.

Mary immediately became flustered. "Ah… uh… no. I'm sorry, not yet. I thought I'd come here first to help work up the confidence…"

Mitchel sighed. "So I'm just practice then?"

"A-Ah! No… I didn't mean to---"

"Relax, relax. I got this a lot when I lived in Chickadee, and--"

"Oh gosh! I'm terribly sorry! I---"

"No! Just… you didn't offend me, so I'm okay!"

After a continuous bout of Mary trying to appoligize, and Mitchel trying to ease her guilt, the two finally reached a steady compromise.

"Are you good now?" Mitchel asked nervously.

"Yes… I'm fine." Mary assured quietly.

Mitchel took another deep breath before picking up where the conversation once was.

"That Gray… I'm sure he'll be more than happy to accept. The end result looked pleasing, and the sample taste was just fine. All you have to do now is make sure "Grumbling" Gray takes a bite of it as well." he assured her friend.

Mary looked incredibly grateful. "I appreciate you coming over and helping me make his present, as well. It was discouraging that day knowing Mother had some other business to take care of, but it was a wonderful surprise to know I had a friend who can cook!"

"Well… messes aside, that was one heck of a time!" Mitchel exclaimed. "All those random cooking sessions I had before living on my own helped after all! I even got to sample fine cookie dough and everything."

Mary smiled. "You're a really good person, and you really deserve love. I hope Popuri shares your feelings for her." She said hopefully.

"Yeah, well… if it ends up being that way, I'll just have to confess my own feelings on the spot. I really haven't said anything to her about this whole issue yet, but I do believe in the law of "equivalent exchange" every once in awhile." Mitchel explained.

"Mitchel…" Mary called meaningfully, "The way you can be so open and comfortable like this; sometimes I feel myself jealous of you. You're pretty quirky most of the time, but at least I know you're honest." She confessed.

The eccentric chicken farmer took a deep breath before slowly exhaling bad air.

"You know what? I actually feel anxious about this whole "feelings" thing myself… sure, I can just go in and do things, but nobody can predict the outcome… THAT'S what makes me nervous as the open guy…" Mitchel shared.

"Gee… I never really considered the possibility that impulsive people could even think that way." Mary replied.

"Yeah, but that's because I'm not your run-of-the-mill impulsive person. I don't know how everybody else thinks, but I have a feeling we share a similar mindset like that. There's another reason we seem to be good friends, I guess." Mitchel grinned.

Mary nodded. "Alright. Then I guess I'll just have to go in and hope for the best!" she declared.

"Do you really need to make it seem like a distant goal? I think it's been established that Gray loves you, too. Just try not to make a great big deal of it, okay?" Mitchel suggested.

"I'll try…" Mary said with a meek smile.

With that said, the young Librarian took a few steps back before offering a polite bow.

"Once again, thank you, and Happy Valentine's day." Mary cried before taking leaving the premises.

"You better be sure Gray gets those cookies before day's end, you got it?" Mitchel warned sternly.

"Yes, sir!" Mary cried back.

Finally, the black-haired girl was finally out of sight as Mitchel was left there think to himself.

"Well, the Harvest Sprites already took care of the watering for me today. Dunno what else I have left to pass the time except for watching some strange show about a Princess being a Demon Lord's housewife…" he thought.

He then shrugged as he closed the door and went inside. Just as he was about to flip the TV switch on, he heard an immediate pounding at the door. Mitchel quickly made an about face as he head towards the closed door once again. Upon opening it, he saw fairly anxious young lady with big pink hair and ruby red eyes. His eyes lowered slightly to notice something special in her hand.

"Chocolate Cake?" Mitchel thought to himself.

"Ah! H-Happy Valentine's Day!" Popuri exclaimed.

The curious farmer could not take his eyes off the cake. It was pretty big, and it smelled freshly baked.

Mitchel blinked. "You made this?"

Popuri nodded vigorously. "Yes! It's for you!"

"Ahhh…."

He still could not recover from the sheer shock from it all. To him, this was clearly one of the greatest displays of affection he's witnessed that wasn't a form of fluid-swapping.

"I tried to make sure I used the best possible recipe and everything! I even made a few personal improvements for a special touch!" she continued.

Stil struggling to find the appropriate words, Mitchel slowly pointed a finger at the cake with his mouth gaping open.

Popuri blinked in confusion. "Ah…. Mitchel? Is something wrong?"

"This cake…" Mitchel started out in a low, yet clear voice.

"What about it?" Popuri asked.

"Does this mean… what I think it means?" the Farmer finished.

Popuri turned her head to the side with a blushing face.

"….If you mean this holds special meaning for today, then, yes… you can say that…" she answered bashfully.

Mitchel then swiftly snatched the cake tray out of her hands and carefully set it aside in his house. He then carefully approached the pink-haired chicken girl.

"Popuri… that's… a LOT… of Chocolate…" he said with a gulp.

"Yes… I thought… maybe it would be the best way to show how much I really like you…" Popuri answered back.

A faint, nervous smile came across the farmer's face.

"I see…" he said with a shaky voice.

Popuri then faced Mitchel with a serious expression. "Mitchel, are you okay with this? I know we've had so much fun as friends, but these feelings just sort of came up, and… some part of me really wants this! I started feeling REALLY comfortable lately when we're having fun together, and I just… I actually feel like I'm growing up now! I don't want this to get too awkward with you, but you must still see me as a little girl, huh? I know! I always say really childish things, and I'm starting to worry I'm teasing you or something…"

Mitchel gave a soft chuckle as he gently embraced the flustered girl.

"It's okay… I don't mind the way you are. Personally, what I see before me is a mature young lady." He assured her.

Then it was Popuri's turned to be shocked.

"Huh?"

The eccentric chicken boy sighed again. "Why do you have to be the nervous one, anyway? You came well prepared for this moment. You have the chocolate in cake form, the willingness to express your feelings, and the maturity to impress your receiver." He explained calmly.

"…Mitchel? I don't understand… what are you saying?" she asked with uncertainty.

"You mean after all of that, you still don't know?" Mitchel exclaimed with a hearty laugh.

The poor pink-haired girl was still quite confused at her friend's behavior. "No, I'm sorry… I don't get it…"

"Popuri… I love you!"

Popuri wasn't sure how to respond to this. Mitchel's cheerful grin and tone was a little too casual and light-hearted for her taste, but then again, this farmer always had his own way of doing things.

"Uh… Mitchel, are you serious?" she asked cautiously.

Mitchel then gently caressed her face and showed off his warm smile again. "I can tell you put your heart into making that cake… I look forward to trying it." He said.

Popuri giggled in gratitude, and both parties felt their hearts pounding. Just when it seemed like the next moment would take forever, a swift, surprising action passed by in an instant.

Mitchel blinked, unsure if he had indeed felt a peck at his lips.

"Thank you!" Popuri said with a brimming smile.

Back at the Inn, Ann and Cliff were conveniently by themselves downstairs, with Ann holding something behind her back.

"Ah, Ann! You made it sound pretty urgent for me to come down here! What is it you want?" Cliff cried.

"Ah...yeah, Cliff! Th-thank you for c-c-coming, Cliff! I'm... happy that you decided to join me!" Ann stammered.

"Ann? Are you okay? Your face is turning read and you look really sweaty." Cliff voiced in concern.

"Ah, no! I'm fine! Yes, FINE!" Ann insisted in a panic.

"Oh no! It's happening again! Now I'm all icky!" she thought in a panic.

"...Okay... if you say so..." Cliff agreed reluctantly. "So... why did you call me down here, anyway?"

"Wha? Oh, right! Right, rightrightrightrightright..." Ann blurted out. "That's a good queestion!"

"Does it have anything to do with what's behind your back?" Cliff said as he pointed to her arms.

Ann nodded vigorously as Cliff tilted his head to figure out what sort of surprise she had in store. He then scratched his head.

"Is Ann trying to pull a prank on me? If so, maybe that explains why everyone I came across has been acting a little unusual today. Even Popuri was really flustered, and she's usually the most carefree member of this town! I guess it's some bizare, prank-filled ritual day where single people are recognized. That must also explain why Mitchel kept exclaiming "Happy Singles Appreciation Day!" at the top of his lungs..." he thought inexplicably.

Cliff then let out a big sigh. "Alright, Ann. Go ahead and give to me. We're good friends now, so I'll be able to handle anything you throw at me." he insisted.

"Huh? Really, Cliff? Are you sure?" Ann asked in anxious enthusiasm.

Cliff nodded. "If it really means that much to you, then go ahead."

"Cliff!" Ann cried gratefully.

The young vagabond shrugged. "I can't deny it if she wants to have fun. I love her too much to deny it, after all..." he thought to himself.

The moment Ann unveiled her surprise, Cliff flinched at her movement, only to see a bowl of chocolate mousse shoved towards him. The surprised fellow stared blankly at the delicious concoction.

"C-Cliff! As token of my feelings for you... please accept this! I woke up early morning to make it just for you!" she exclaimed with a quivering voice.

Cliff scanned the mousse for a second, then looked straight at Ann's bowed head.

"Wait a minute! This isn't a whipped cream pie! Or a joy buzzard! This is... mousse... in fine china! Isn't she at least going to hit me with it or something?" Cliff thought to himself.

"What I meant to say is..." Ann continued. "H-Happy Valentine's Day! P-Please... w-won't you be my Valentine?"

Cliff blinked. "Valentine's Day? But Mitchel said it was "Singles Appreciation Day", and I thought it was some special pranking holiday of Mineral Town!"

Ann stared awkwardly at the confused vagabond.

"What?"

"A-Ann! I can't believe what I'm seeing!"

The surprised pair faced the entrance, just in time to see Sasha and Manna just outside.

"Karen's Mom? What are you doing here?" Ann exclaimed.

"What am I doing here? The question is, what are YOU doing, Period?" Sacha shouted back.

"Ah... shouldn't it be, "What are you doing, Question Mark?" Cliff reluctantly interrupted.

"CAN IT, CLIFF!" Ann and Sasha exclaimed at the same time as the chocolate mousse was forced into Cliff's grasp.

The quiet young man was forced to retreat back a few steps and enjoy his tasty treat with a spoon.

"I can't believe you caved in so easily! I know you've had a rocky relationship so far, but it doesn't mean you have to settle so hastily! Shouldn't you at least try to confess your feelings before resorting to this?" Sasha suggested.

"What are you talking about? I'm confessing my feelings right now! At least before you rudely interrupted!" Ann complained.

Sasha clicked her tongue as she shook her head in disbelief. "Poor Little Ann... You've suffered because you've lost the man of your dreams, and now you've become delusional to block out your true feelings. As a fellow woman, I pity you..." she sighed.

Ann scratched her head. "Are you trying to mess with me? The man of my dreams is standing right beside me! He's HERE!" she shouted.

Cliff blushed in an instant. "...So then, what the Harvest Goddess told me the other day wasn't the product of a dream after all? Then... She... she really DOES love me!" he thought in excitement.

Sasha shookher head once more. "You do realize that you still have a chance to do something about this. Just go into the kitchen again and whip up something like a chocolate cake for the one you REALLY have your heart set on, instead of wasting it like you just did. I have confidence that you'll fix this, because I know you're a capable cook." she told Ann.

She then gave her a gentle pat on the head before retreating to Rose Square. "I'll be expecting to hear about results in the coming days. And a little thanks wouldn't hurt, either." Sasha scoffed.

As the uptight blonde left, Manna decided to butt in on Ann's business herself.

"My goodness, Ann! Why are you doing this? Will settling for Cliff really make you happy? I mean, I know he's a nice guy and everything, even cute, yet slightly rugged, but you shouldn't just give up Mitchel like that when he's still a single young man! I mean, everyone's been rooting for the two of you to finally stop your bickering and get together since what felt like forever to the rest of us? Why do this? Why crush your dream? Huh? Huh? Huh? Don't you realize you're letting everyone else down? How about Mitchel? How about yourself? How about your adoring audience? I mean, so many seasons of tension and all it amounts to is you giving Cliff your Valentine's gift, just because Mitchel is too difficult for you to handle! You coward! I thought you were stronger than this! How can you just give in like this, just because the one you really love is difficult? Sure, it's still hard for Duke and me when we argue and bicker like that, but you don't understand how much we love each other dearly! You didn't even TRY to make it work out! All you do is fight and fight and fight and fight! But no apology! No romance! No love! And why? All because the two of you are no-good stubborn mules! The both of you make me sick, using "easy" alternatives when you're afraid of TRUE love! It disgusts me!" Manna rambled before speeding out of the Inn.

Ann just stood there with dumbfound look on her face as her brain tried to process Manna's seemingly endless rant.

"Huh?"

"Ann! This mousse! It tastes terrific!" Cliff cried wit a satisfied smile.

"R-R-really? Oh my gosh! Oh... my... gosh! Cliff! Thank you! Really! I mean it!" Ann cheered.

Cliff nodded. "I'm just glad to try your wonderful cooking again! I didn't even know you could do gourmet food times, so this is a pleasant surprised!"

Upon hearing this, Ann felt like she could melt. All she could manage to do was gaze at Cliff with a fawning face.

"Cliff..." she uttered meaningfully.

Cliff felt his heart beat, but he felt an unfamiliar warmth and comfort throughout his body. His satisfied smile grew even wider thanks to this strange sensation.

"It's really refreshing to learn that gossip can be false..." he thought to himself joyously.

**Omake: Odd Money**

One fine day of an unspecified date, Cliff once again wandered the streets until he came across a familiar figure that forced him to halt immediately.

"Mitchel?" Cliff cried.

"Shhhh… quiet. We have to keep this a secret." The black-haired farmer insisted.

Cliff came closer. "Okay then," he said in a hushed voice. "What is you want?

"Don't you think all these stupid rumors about Ann and I are going overboard?" Mitchel whispered in complaint.

Cliff nodded slowly.

"Good. I'm aware how much the stupid gossip made you depressed and angsty and stuff, and I wanted to shut them up for good." Mitchel grinned. He then took out a sack of jingling objects.

"Here. Take this." Mitchel insisted as he handed Cliff the bag.

The curious traveler opened up the sack to discover over 5000 G worth of coins stashed in there.

"Wh-what's this all about?" Cliff managed to exclaim in a whisper.

Mitchel grinned. "I'm sure you know." he insisted. "Just make sure to use it when the time is right. Then we'll show these gossip fools whose personal lives they're messing with."

He then walked passed Cliff towards some unknown territory. Cliff looked inside once more and pondered over what exact reason Mitchel would have to give him such a generous portion of his money. He then found a card inside and started reading it:

I have confidence in you, friend. You can go ahead and take your time, but please get that crazy Ann out of my hair as soon as possible!

-Mitchel

He then saw a sketch of a devious-looking Ann at the side, along with a detailed sketch of a feather in blue ink.

Cliff blushed. "He wants me to purchase a blue feather? Is this even enough, or is he counting on me to work out the rest of the money with my vineyard job?"

He was about to ask the mysterious farmer about the note given to him, but it appeared he was gone in an instant.

"What the... he was just here a minute ago! Did he disappear?" Cliff cried.

He looked around the walkway for a few moments, but to no avail.

"...Wow... I didn't figure Mitchel had powers, too!" he thought in awe.

However, as soon as he said that, he heard hearty laughter coming from the library.

"Oh. He just went inside the library to talk to Mary. I should've known he went indoors!" he thought to himself, feeling rather silly of his former assumption.

He then walked away with his 5000 G bag in hand, feeling a peculiar mixture of gratitude and anxiety welling within him.

After a long time of walking, he finally reached the Church grounds. He was just about to enter the actual building itself until another thought occured.

"Wait a minute... did he even buy his own Bue Feather?"


	11. Doc and Elli's Wedding

_Author's Commentary: Alright. I think I got a misunderstanding from last Chapter, but I'm not going to edit it. People are thinking Mitchel is being "hasty" with forcing the proposal upon Ann, but I would like to point out a few parts of that text, for example: **"**_**One fine day of an unspecified date…"**. _For crying out loud, "UNSPECIFIED DATE" people! It could've been days, weeks, even SEASONS after the Chapter occurred, but people have been assuming; "Oh, "Unspecified Date." It's simply means "a few days later" in Chicken Yuki speech. No. And another thing is that Mitchel isn't forcing Cliff to take immediate action. He's just making the option more accessible to him: "**You can go ahead and take your time"**; and **Just make sure to use it when the time is right."**, not "Propose to Ann and take her to a damn honeymoon before I hire my good friend Nack and have him pump lead in your vital organs!". I just wanted to point that out since it seems to be a common notice by the few reviewers I get here… anyway, here's the final Chapter. I hope I don't disappoint…_

**Final Chapter**

A full year passed, and the bonds of love grew strong. Despite the multiple injuries he encountered from what many believed was "bad karma", Rick managed to hang on and discover a love life with Karen.

Mary and Gray's relationship held out just fine, and remained unburdened by the peculiar gossip surrounding Mineral Town. The young blacksmith's apprentice even started joining Mary's family on their weekly hikes, which allowed him to relax a little more. He was even willing to join in on a few conversations between Mary and Mitchel, which let to some interesting moments.

Elli and Doctor Tim were also unhindered by the dregs of society. In fact, most of Mineral Town celebrated their budding relationship. As the medical pair becomes closer in intimacy with time, many speculated that a proposal is bound to come up between these two.

Ever since past Valentine's Day, Ann and Cliff have been going out regularly. They enjoyed a few days of the week hiking around town, but they always enjoyed each morning being with each other at the Inn, where Ann continues to top the breakfast she makes for her beloved. Unfortunately, the redhead still got the short end of the rumor stick, as some of the villagers look down upon her with scorn, believing that she threw away her true love life when she left Mitchel for Ann, but she didn't care. She hated the black-haired farmer in the first place, and she's already dating the man she always really loved.

Luckily for Mitchel, the news surrounding him in particular wasn't so bad. Some rumors stated that Popuri came to him during a time of need, saving him from depression from loosing Ann. Others finally caught on to Mary's friendship with the strange chicken farmer, and were even convinced that she was supporting Mitchel in his supposed "pursuit of Ann".

In truth, he actually enjoyed a similar schedule of fun with the pink-haired young lady, but the Valentine's Day confession took away some otherwise awkward tension between this pair, making them seem more carefree than usual. While they still enjoy talking about their favorite subject of chicken care, and having general childish fun, they've managed a few more excuses to play House with Stu and May, and they've even started showing subtle hints of affection towards each other during the course of their new relationship.

As for Kai? Well, he's still good friends with the citizens of Mineral Town, even though it's mostly women, Mayor Thomas, and Mitchel who talk to him, but he's still just fine hanging out during the Summer Season. However, when the Summer season ended yet again, the traveler with the purple bandana went off for another Summer-free adventure. It is said that for the moment, Kai has been searching the mines of Forget-Me-Not Valley for something, or someone special.

Some are convinced that Kai's personal adventure in Forget-Me-Not Valley may involve something to do with his former life before traveling. Stranger rumors state that Kai's been battling monsters in these mines. Whatever the true case may be, none have yet to confirm Kai's true whereabouts or activities, but most believe he is still at Forget-Me-Not Valley.

But another special day is coming. One week from the day after Valentine's Day, a fateful event happened. Doctor Tim Holiday finally proposed to an ecstatic Elli, finally ready to ensure their eternal bond. The entire town caught on, and became just as excited. With the friendship they had going with Mitchel, the eccentric chicken farmer was properly chosen to be the best man, while a certain meek librarian was chosen as the maid of honor.

After the acknowledged day of chocolate giving passed once again, the entire citizenry dressed formally the following day and headed towards the church, where a new Chapter in their lives was about to unfold…

In the morning of the wedding, little May in an adorable white dress got to walk about and toss flowers around.

By the altar, Mitchel, Popuri, and Ann were witnessing her antics, feeling overjoyed for the occasion.

"Awww… May looks really cute in that dress." Popuri said.

Mitchel nodded. "I'm not used to seeing that girl in formal attire like that, but I gotta admit… she looks really good in it."

Maria giggled. "She's simply adorable…"

After her part was done, a few moments passed by before the groom finally stepped out in a fancy white tuxedo.

Grins and looks of awe filled the church, as the doctor looked quite handsome for his occasion.

"Heh… spruce up Doctor Holiday a smidge and the guy becomes a stud. Dunno if the same can be done for me." Mitchel said.

"Oh no… I have to disagree. You look really good in your outfit!" Popuri grinned.

"Really? So can I be considered "handsome", now?" Mitchel teased.

Popuri scoffed with a slight blush on her face. "I told you, I'm sorry about that! It's just---"

"You're forgiven!" Mitchel abruptly interrupted.

Popuri gave her boyfriend a frustrated glare before going into a fit of laughter.

Mary looked pleased at how the pair have been acting lately. "It seems the two of you are even closer now. I assume Yesterday's Valentine's day went by rather well?"

The happy pair nodded in unison.

"All Popuri here had to do is whip up another tasty Chocolate cake, and we were good to go!" Mitchel exclaimed.

"I tried to top myself this year by adding some special icing and cherries. By the way Mitchel approved of the taste, I would have to say that it was a success!" Popuri cheered.

Mitchel then wore a silly grin on his face. "Yep. I would have to say she did a really good job this time. I'm just wondering why little Popuri here still has yet to enter one of her creations in a cooking contest. She's quite the sensational cook, so I'm sure she'd win it hands down."

Popuri blushed as she struggled to talk. "...Mi-Mitchel! I told you... I still don't think I'm quite ready for a competition! Everybody else had plenty of cooking, and I...I'm still trying to get some experience in..." she explained.

"Then obviously, you have a whole lot of natural talent to make up for your inexperience!" Mitchel argued. "I'm even considering entering one of your dishes as "anonyous" or under my name if you're not willing to receive the recognition you deserve!"

The aspiring cook lowered her head as the redness of her face increased. "Ah! No! Please! It would be too embarrassing for me... I'd.."

While Popuri was too distracted by her flustered state, Mitchel and Mary were able to converse in private.

"So... is your little plan still under way?" Mary asked curiously.

Mitchel nodded. "Of course. I know it's my good friends' special occasion today, but I just can't let them have ALL the fun." he grinned.

Mary giggled. "It's like you're making it out to be a competition." she remarked.

Mitchel laughed nervously. "Oh, come on... you make it sound dirty, or something..."

"Well... you're doing it right after their wedding and before the reception. I just think the timing for something like that is a bit.. off to me. Like you're intruding on their special day..." Mary explained.

After finally getting over her fits of bashfulness, Popuri noticed the black-haired duo becoming unusually chummy. "Hey... what are you two talking about? Can you tell me?"

Mitchel and Mary shook their heads at the same time.

"I"m sorry, but it's fairly private..." Mary said with regret.

Mitchel then walked forward and gently pat Popuri on the head. "Yeah... I hate to say this, but it's a secret..."

"A secret?" Popuri answered back uncomfortably. "What's so special about it to keep me in the dark?" she asked in concern.

"Oh, you won't be in the dark for long. I'm sure you'll catch on when it happens." Mitchel teased.

For as long as anyone knew her, Popuri would've huffed and pouted in a usual childlike matter, but some changes came over the pink-haired little girl since the last few seasons. Instead, she reacted with casual confusion.

"Huh?"

While the best man was still busy with his shenanigans, Karen and Rick were sitting down as they waited for the big moment.

"So, uh… Rick? Do you think you're going to be okay? It's like the world's out to get you! Considering all the lightening strikes, wild animal attacks, and mysterious falling pianos, it's a miracle you're still alive! Popuri's new assertiveness must be pretty mild compared to your recent run of bad luck, huh?" Karen said with a chuckle.

Rick sighed. "If I was able to live through that… I should be fine. It's just, ever since Mitchel punched me in the nose last Summer; I've run into a long string of bad luck. It's like I've upset a supernatural force of some sort. Did I do something to upset the Harvest Goddess or something?"

Karen shrugged. "I don't know. I doubt a guy like you who usually means well would be able to do something THAT horrible. You're one of the most dedicated people I know."

Rick blushed slightly. "Er… thank you, Karen." He said bashfully. He then turned his head to see his little sister hanging out with Mitchel and Mary.

"Those two seem to be a lot closer since last Winter. I don't know how Mitchel puts up with her childishness. The guy must have a high tolerance level for that kind of thing." He grinned.

"Actually, those two are boyfriend and girlfriend, I believe. Mitchel told me so himself. I know the two of them don't act all lovey-dovey in public, but I think they really love each other." Karen pointed out.

Rick gave Karen a curious look before laughing out loud. "Oh, come on! I've already heard this joke a dozen times! I'm surprised Mary can tell me that with a straight face, too! I really don't know anyone in this town who could ever see her like that!"

Karen continued to stare at the spectacled young man in disbelief as he laughed himself into tears. After his sides finally ached, Rick found a reason to stop, only to make a bitter face.

"Of course, that dastardly Kai is another story, daring to take away my sister. I know he leaves at Summer's end, but I know he's plotting something! Him and his beach house food… I bet he's trying to kill people through bad cholesterol!" he proclaimed, only to be met with a bash to the head. "Karen?"

"For crying out loud, Rick! I know I never dated the guy, but quit being so paranoid! Kai is a decent person! It's just… the whole "heartbreak" thing was my fault alone. I should've realized he had feelings for Popuri sooner, and… well, whatever! You don't have to be a tool about it!"

Rick stared at Karen in bewilderment. "Am I really acting that bad?"

Karen nodded, but there was a remorseful look on her face. "It's just… you can be too overprotective some times. You really need to lighten up more. Maybe even let Popuri live her own life for a change…"

Rick slowly lowered his head to think about Karen's suggestion. "I see… but I don't know if she can actually take care of herself yet."

"Oh, come on! You really don't have to worry about that! I actually think she's acting a little more grown-up now! Besides, she has a few good friends like my buddy Mitchel to take care of her, so she really won't be off on her own." Karen argued.

Rick smiled. "Thanks… I guess… I could try to lay off her just a little…"

"And you should know that she really IS going out with Mitch. I wasn't joking." Karen stated seriously.

Unfortunately, that just aroused a funny look from Rick. "Oh, come on. That was funny the first time you said it, but it gets a little old the second time."

With her second failed attempt to inform Rick of the truth, Karen could only sigh.

Elsewhere, in the sacred Realm, the Harvest Goddess sighed along with Mineral Town's hottie.

"I don't get that guy. The new farmer's clearly going out with his sister, and despite how serious his friends are in mentioning it, the guy can't even catch a hint. I didn't know a guy who's supposedly intelligent could be THAT thick-headed."

She then watched over the various incidents that nearly claimed Rick's life and shook her head in disgust. "That guy must've developed a LOT of bad karma for him to face so much misfortune on his own. Well, he DID blatantly mock someone's feelings in his face, and also tried to kick a decent guy out of town repeatedly, so that might have something to do with it…"

Back at the Church, Cliff was wearing a nice-looking chocolate brown tux. Secretly in his hand was a blue feather, which he gazed at nervously.

"Why am I still holding this? I thought I already put it away when I was back at the Inn while getting ready for Elli and the Doctor's wedding, but here it is in my grasp! I guess… I was too nervous and thought Ann would find it, but now I'm in a worse situation! What am I supposed to do? I'm still not ready! And Mitchel warned me not to propose this Season, too! If only I had done this sooner, but no… it would've been too soon, and I certainly wasn't as ready as the Doctor was when he proposed. Heck, the simple mention of a wedding seemed to make Ann nervous, so she just might think I'm coming on too strong here, so… I have to hide this somehow! I have to keep it somewhere safe so I can't scare Ann off with it! GAAH!"

Cliff's last bit of thought came out in a cry as he felt a tapping on his shoulder. He turned around to see Ann, who, surprisingly, was in a puffy white bridesmaid's dress.

"What'cha doin' there? Weren't you holding something?" Ann asked curiously.

With the Blue feather held behind his back, Cliff smoothly slipped it into his sleeve and showed his girlfriend his empty hands.

"Ah, n-nothing! I was just… staring at the church walls with my hand out like that! D-doesn't it look nice?" Cliff stammered.

Ann nodded slowly at first with a dubious look, but quickly returned to her chipper expression. "Say Cliff… maybe we should take our seats. The organ players' about ready to play the wedding march, and surprinsgly, it isn't Mary. But I guess that makes sense, since she was chosen as the Maid of Honor and everything…"

"Ah… right." Cliff simply answered.

The two of them finally took their seats amongst the other attendants as the organ started up. Mitchel, Mary and Popuri stood by patiently as the Doctor waited by the altar. Soon, the familiar wedding tune filled the Church as the bride finally made her appearance.

Elli slowly approached the altair, adorned perfectly in her bridal gown of pure white as she carried a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Numerous bows covered the lower frills, with another by her chest, and a final one placed atop her head. Her usual brown hair wasn't fixed for this particular occasion, but her daily hairstyle didn't detract her beauty in any way. It was completely perfect.

Finally, the young Doctor witnessed his beautiful bride as she stepped up proudly by his side. Even Grandma Ellen was quite touched as she weapt with tears of joy. After the organ stopped, the ritual finally began with Carter saying the ceremonial words.

Although many were silent, others also found themselves crying during the commencement. A few women even wondered what their wedding day would be like, as they saw how gorgeous Elli looked in her great white gown. But for some reason, a certain black-haired farmer had a particularly amused look on his face.

After most of the formalities passed, and the couple exchanged rings, Carter prepared to recite the most well-known words of the ceremony.

"Tim Holiday, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife…?"

The Doctor nodded with a confident look on his face.

"I do."

Carter then faced Elli.

"Elli Browning, Do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband…?"

Elli nodded with a peaceful expression.

"I do."

Carter nodded in acknowledgement before raising a hand in the air.

"Then…by the power invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." He proclaimed.

And with that said, the newlyweds shared their first kiss as husband and wife. After about a minute or so of sharing carbon dioxide, their lips separated with redness on both of their faces.

The crowd roared and cheered upon the completion of this new union as Tim and Ellen smiled back. Slowly, the bride stepped away from the altar and raised her bouquet in the air. "Alright, ladies. You know what it's time for." She announced.

The four unmarried women rushed towards the center carpet. Elli then turned around and prepared for a back toss. "Are you all ready?" she asked the women behind her.

Three of the young women chattered among themselves while Karen folded her arms as she felt a tinge of discomfort in participating.

"Wait a minute… should I really be hoping for commitment?" she thought to herself.

Immediately, Elli proceeded to toss the bouquet into the air. Instead of vying violently for the treasured object, the four young ladies gazed curiously at its trajectory. It didn't take long for the bouquet to begin its decent, heading towards an unsuspecting Karen. Ann and Popuri attempted to intercept the incoming bouquet while Karen leapt in surprise, but somehow it sailed overhead, and straight into Mary's hands. The other three young ladies glared at bashful Mary while everybody around them applauded. Then they were once again forced to leave the center floor to allow the Doctor and Elli a proper departure.

While everybody else paid attention to the happy newlyweds, Mary rushed back to a thoroughly amused Mitchel and a disappointed Popuri.

"So… does this mean a wedding between you and Gray are in the works?" Mitchel teased heartily.

Mary blushed upon hearing this. She and Mitchel turned towards a shaky Gray before facing each other once again. "We've enjoyed seeing each other in silence, but I think neither of us are ready for that kind of commitment. I think fate's trying to play a joke on me…"

"Okay, then. It's time I take care of that little "secret", then…" Mitchel remarked.

Popuri's ears perked up when hearing this, and cheered her up immediately. "Really? You'll tell me now?"

Mitchel nodded. "Yup! It's pretty exciting, actually!" he exclaimed.

Popuri's red eyes lit up with excitement. "What is it?" she pleaded.

"Oh, well… you see… the thing is…" Mitchel uttered.

"Yes?" Popuri cried.

Mitchel then pointed out his right index finger.

"I'm considering becoming a Magician!"

Popuri looked puzzled by her boyfriend's proclamation.

"A… Magician?"

"Yes! Scarves, metal rings, hats and bunnies, the works!" Mitchel answered. "Of course, I've been working hard on my first trick, and it involves a bouquet of flowers, and I really wanted to show it you first."

Both pairs of eyes then spotted the bouquet in Mary's grasp.

"Oh, sure! You can go ahead and have it!" Mary said as she gave the bouquet up to the aspiring Magician.

"W-wait a minute! Are you going professional with this? What about the chickens? Are you just going to leave the farm?" Popuri cried in concern.

Mitchel laughed nervously. "N-no! Not at all! I just thought practicing magic tricks would be a fun hobby!" he explained. He then cleared is throat before he went on to his trick.

"Anyway, my first ever magic trick will be able to call forth an object from a bouquet!" he proclaimed. "My lady, can you please check the flowers for anything suspicious?"

Popuri nodded before making a thorough search of the bouquet before returning them to Mitchel and gave thumbs up for approval.

"Okay, then! Watch and be amazed!" Mitchel cried

"Uh…. Mitchel? What exactly are you planning to take out from the flowers?" Popuri asked curiously.

"Hmm…. Well, let's just say that I have a strong feeling you'll like it." He assured her.

"Alright. If you say so…" Popuri replied.

Mitchel then waved a hand above the bouquet without chanting any magic words for some reason.

"The practice with the cauliflowers went well enough. Hopefully, I can pull it off with this, too…" he thought to himself.

After a few more seconds of hand waving, Mitchel dug his hand into the bouquet. After his hand reached deep inside, he slowly pulled it out with something else in its grasp. Gradually, the object revealed itself to the audience. It turned out to be something blue…

"A…A blue feather?" Popuri cried.

"Hmmm… it seems my magic conjured something interesting today." Mitchel grinned.

"Wait a minute, does this mean what I think this means?" Popuri asked.

Mary watched by silently with a pleasant smile on his face.

"That Mitchel… he tried so hard to get that trick just right at the library. He tried so many times, but I knew just how determined he was to to pull of this unique proposal…" she thought to herself.

Mitchel rubbed his head bashfully while holding the blue feather with his free hand. "Ah, yeah… I think we've managed to stay together for a really long time, and you've really impressed me with what you can do. I thoroughly enjoyed being your friend and comrade for the longest time, and this whole "dating" thing ended up being fun and educational. I found out that you're a mature, compassionate young lady who still has a carefree side to her. And I'm glad to know that you consider me one of the "handsome" men you like so much. But let me cut to the chase before I start to ramble on…."

He then got on one knee and held the Blue feather in front of him. "So… as Mineral Town's first ever Farmer/Magician… Popuri, will you marry me?"

The pink-haired young lady looked at the legendary object in awe as many pleasant memories passed through her mind. With a warm smile, she was just about to give her response when an unwelcome obstacle got into the way.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

All eyes turned to a panicked Manna, who stared at the proposal that took place after the wedding.

"Mitchel! I can't believe you! After spending almost two years pining over loosing Ann, you suddenly just go up and propose to Popuri? Must you really give up your one true love so easily because of one set back? Don't cower out! Go to Ann and say something! I know all the time you were just using a friend to get Ann jealous, but enough is enough! It's not too late! Ann is doing the same thing to you with Cliff! You're both still technically single, and I'm sure you can resolve everything once and for all! Look past all that ugly tension and seek out your true feelings! I'm only saying this because I know it's what's best for---"

However, everyone left the church in the midst of Manna's last minute intervention to move on to the reception… or perhaps to avoid hearing her any further. Despite this, the poor woman continued on with her speech, mysteriously unaware of the Church's sudden absence.

Right outside, Cliff searched his suit desperately for the Blue feather he stored earlier.

"Oh no! I lost it! What am I going to do? That thing is expensive, and I doubt it's easy to get another one of those! What if it takes forever to get another one? What if somebody else finds mine? What if---"

"Cliff?" Ann asked in a soft voice.

Still, it again caused a frightened Cliff to leap up.

"Ann!" Cliff exclaimed. "What is it you want?"

Ann then took out something from her pocket. "I think… you dropped something.."

Upon seeing the object, Cliff sweat bullets while he shook like a leaf.

It was the Blue Feather he was missing.

"Ah! Ann! Where did you find this?" he demanded in a shaky tone as he took it back.

"Uh… it fell from your tux vest awhile back…" Ann said.

For awhile, an awkward silence took place between the two of them. They simply gave each other curious glances, but the serenity of silence would not last.

"Cliff… you're… thinking about proposing?" Ann asked gently.

Cliff's body shook uncontrollably. "Eh…ah… wha… n-n-n-no… it's just… that's.."

"Oh." Ann said with a hint of disappointment. "Then… what are you doing with a blue feather in the first place?"

Cliff's heart pounded. His mind went completely blank when he tried to come up with a reasonable explanation. He tried desperately to calm down and approach Ann rationally, but a mess of thoughts quickly rushed through his mind and forced him to act.

"I… I love you so much Ann, but I only bought this because someone told me to keep it until the time is right! I can't go through with a proposal! I'm not ready yet! I'm sorry if you think I doubt our love and relationship, but I still want to wait it out! Besides, I don't think the time is right for us!" he blurted out.

To his surprise, Ann smiled and nodded to him understandingly.

"It's okay. Even watching Elli looking happy like that, the thought of marriage is making me a little wacky, too. I want to wait, too." She said.

With those encouraging words, Cliff found himself calming down. "I… I… thank you." He answered.

"But…. If you ever consider proposing to me… I… I would like to get married in the Fall." She suggested.

Cliff blinked in surprise. "The Fall? But isn't that--"

"Yes, it is." Ann said as she cut off the introverted vagabond. "I thought… Fall was usually an occasion that usually brought sorrow, but I thought it should stop. I know Mom would want me to happy, even when it's around the time of her death, and I thought it would be a good idea to have a good occasion around that time for me to look forward to…" she explained.

Cliff felt touched by Ann's insightful idea. Slowly, a warm smile formed on his face. "Okay… if we get married, I'll consider it." He promised.

Unexpectedly, Cliff is immediately rewarded with a bear hug from Ann.

"Just don't keep another secret like this from me again, got it?" Ann playfully threatened.

"…Got it!" Cliff cried while wincing from her grip.

Meanwhile, the Inn was quickly filling for the reception. Mitchel was just about ready to head inside, looking forward to a scrumptious peace of wedding cake, until…

"Mitchel, wait a minute!" Popuri cried.

Mitchel swiftly turned to see the pink-haired girl calling to him from behind.

"Yeah, what do you want?" he asked innocent.

Popuri then pulled the best man aside and held out the blue feather he proposed with in front of his face. "You never got my answer to your question!" she reminded him.

"Oh, right… of course, how silly of me! I planned this somewhat elaborate proposal for awhile now, and I just go and forget about it because of cake and endless rambling!" Mitchel said with an anxious laugh. "So, uh…. What do you say?"

Popuri expressed the same warm smile from over year ago from when Mitchel declared that he loved her.

"Yes, Honey. I would love to…"

_Author's Notes: Yep. That's the end. Nope, there's no following Wedding Chapters for Mitch/Popuri or Ann/Cliff after this. I figured additional wedding scenes would get either bland or repetitive, so I'll stop here. And yeah… I seemed to torture Rick quite a bit towards the end. I don't really have anything against him, it just that he was being a jerk for a bit, so "bad karma" had to come in for him… which, unfortunately, ruined a chunk of the realism in this story, but whatever._

_I actually wrote this story because I've seen all these "love/hate" relationship crap come up. People have been going, "OH! THESE GUYS ARE QUARRELING! MAYBE THEY SHOULD HOOK UP!" for a while, and I think it has been done to death thanks to many Anime and overzealous pairing fans. I never really understood the intrigue behind this dysfunctional "tension". It feels more like a story between two hopeless idiots in love more than a "suspenseful romance". Besides, I ended up making girl mortal enemies left and right, and I NEVER felt feelings towards them. (They were either bad people, or unbearably annoying…) There was especially this one girl who enjoyed teasing me that reminded me of Ann… we never really "fought", but she had the demented idea that I had a crush on her, and the rest is history…_

_Anyway, I wanted to break away from the "Quarreling lovers" formula and finally make a Male/Female antagonizing pair that will NEVER hook up, despite the assumptions of a kooky populace, so Ann and OC Mitchel provided plenty of no-love conflict. _

_Also because I noticed little to none Farmer X Popuri fiction out there, I decided to go through with it, since that's how my FoMT ended up going, and I wanted to bring a more mature potrayl of the pink-haired chicken lover to the table. So, I say sorry to Mary for being the sacrifical guinea pig to preserve this odd couple, but at least she gets Gray. Besides, Gray X Mary rule._

_So, this story has finally come to an end. However, if you're looking for one last dose of this particular HM Universe, Mitchel is going to return once more in an upcoming one-shot co-staring with Mary, where she's going to be holding a Book Burning! Why is that? Isn't she a librarian? Well, that's an astute observation, but… well, there's an interesting (although remarkably far fetched) reason behind it. Please look forward to "**Mary's Book Bonfire"**__and have a good day. Oh, and… thanks for coming aboard, Rhianwen. I hope this one-shot is a worthy enough write to be inspired by the most random citation of one of your fics…._


End file.
